Angelus
by seraphim2db
Summary: A new story. A new beginning. What if Liam hadn't of met Darla down that alley, but instead saves someone. Come and see the new destiny that awaits Angelus. This story isn't about Liam, but the girl he saves.
1. Chapter 1

Angelus

A new story. A new beginning.

What if Liam hadn't of met Darla down that alley, but instead saves someone. Come and see the new destiny that awaits Angelus. This story isn't about Liam, but the girl he saves. Liam will be given a different name when he is turned.

Rated PG-13 for now, only for language. But in later chapters it will be upgraded to R.

Chapter 1

Sunrise in Galway, Ireland 1753

A maid servant is filling a pitcher with water at a well. Liam is leaning against the wall of the house in the shadow looking disheveled, from a night of drinking and having sex.

"Anna." Liam called out to the maid.

"Master Liam?" Anna said looking up at him.

"Anna, come closer." Liam begged her. He only had one thing on his mind.

"Master Liam, your father..."

"Will be off to church by now." Liam said cutting her off. "Repenting of his sins, and well he should. Closer, Anna."

"Why do you keep to the shadows, sir? Are you not well?" Anna said trying to change the subject. She knew what Liam wanted but she wanted to stall him some.

"The light. It bothers my eyes just now."

"And I know the reason why." Liam's father says as he comes up behind him and pushes him out into the sunlight of the courtyard. "Up again all night, is it? Drinking and whoring. I smell the stink of it on you."

"And a good morning to you, father." Liam says as he picks himself up.

"You're a disgrace."

"If you say so, father." Liam says back casually.

"Oh, I do. I do say so." his father said with a shake of his head. "Have you not had enough debauchery for one night? Must you corrupt the servants as well?"

"Servant, father." Liam corrected him. "We have one servant. Anyway, - everyone gets corrupted, - but I find some forms of corruption - are more pleasant..."

His Dad hits Liam hard across the face, making him spin around.

"I am ashamed to call you my son. You're a lay-about and a scoundrel and you'll never amount to anything more than that."

Liam smiles at him and then walks into their house.

"If you refuse to do as a say, then I want you out of this house!" his dad shouts out. Liam's sister and mother come downstairs to see what the commotion is about. Liam's little sister Kathy starts crying as she see's Liam being yelled at again.

Liam just walks past his father and looks at his little sister.

"Liam! You'll do as I say." His father shouted from behind him.

Liam just ignored his words and wiped away the tears from Kathy's face.

"Sweet Kathy. No tears. We'll meet again."

"Defy me now, you won't. - Not as long as I live." his father warned.

"You'll want to move away from the door now, father." Liam said as he turned around and glared at him.

"Go through it, but don't ever expect to come back."

"As you wish, father. Always, just as you wish."

"It's a son I wished for - a man - instead God gave me you! A terrible disappointment."

"Disappointment?" Liam scoffed. "A more dutiful son you couldn't have asked for. My whole life you've told me in word, in glance, what it is you required of me, and I've lived down to your every expectations, now haven't I?"

"That's madness!" his father shouted.

"No. The madness is that I couldn't fail enough for you. But we'll fix that now, won't we?"

"I fear for you, lad." his father said with real emotion.

"And is that the only thing you can find in your heart for me now, father?" Liam asked.

"Who'll take you in, huh? No one!"

"I'll not lack for a place to sleep, I can tell you that. Out of my way."

"I was never in your way, boy." his father said as Liam opens the door and storms out.

"If you'll go courting trouble, you're sure to find it!" his father calls out to him as he slams the door.

Later that night at a local tavern

As Liam drinks himself into oblivion and dances with a beautiful whore, a noble woman named Darla watches him with interest.

"Who is he?" Darla asks as a maid walks by her table.

"Who, that one?" the maid asked as she see's Liam as he starts a fight with another drunk.  
Liam then takes a drink from his mug of ale and goes back to fighting.

"Yes. - He's magnificent." Darla says as if she's mesmerized by the sight of the man.

"Oh, yeah, God's gift, alright." the maid replies with a smile.

"Really? I've never known God to be so generous."

"Oh, his lies sound pretty when the stars are out. But he forgets every promise he's made when the sun comes up again." the maid says as if she's experienced it before.

"That wouldn't really be a problem for me actually." Darla say's as her and Liams eyes meet. Liam starts walking towards Darla when someone brakes a bottle over his head. As Darla is about to go over and get Liam, a man suddenly runs up to her.

"Mistress Darla." the vamp says from beside her.

"What is it, Thomas?" Darla asks annoyed.

"The Master said that he wants your company for tonight."

"But..."

"He doesn't seem happy right now, mistress. I think it's best if you just come with me now." Looking down at the still form of Liam, Darla stood from her seat and walked out of the tavern with Thomas.

* * *

"Where is she?" Liam immediately asked as he opened his eyes. 

"Who are you talkin' about, lad?" the tavern owner asked as he helped him to his feet.

"That beautiful blonde." he replied. The old tavern owner then gave him a wiry smile.

"She just left with another man." with that said Liam immediately ran for the door. No way was another man, taking what was his. Even if he didn't know her yet.

"Hey lad, what about your tab?" the tavern owner yelled out.

"I'll pay you later!" Liam yelled over his shoulder as he ran out of the bar.

After about five minutes of searching, Liam couldn't find hide nor hair of the blonde. As he was about to turn around and go back in the tavern, he suddenly heard a woman's scream.

Not knowing why but he ran in the direction of the scream. As he walked down the dark alley he saw a huge man looming over a black woman. Always one, ready for a fight he suddenly shouted.

"Hey you, hands off the lass!" As he said this the man, no the monster turned and snarled at him. Before Liam could do so much as move, the vampire ran to him and punched him in the face. The force of the blow sent him five feet in the air, where he crashed onto some wooden crates.

Before he could even try to get up the vampire jumped in the air, ready to pounce on him. Seeing nothing but a piece of broken wood, Liam picked it up and raised it up high. Seeing the wood the vampire was still unable to change the way he landed.

Falling onto the slat of wood, the vampire crumbled into dust. As Liam sat there, stunned that demons really existed, he suddenly heard the girl crying. Getting up and collecting himself, he slowly shuffled over to her.

"Hey lass, you're safe now." he said as he sat down beside her. The woman then looked up at him with tear streaked eyes. She had light colored skin and she looked to be about sixteen.

"My parent's." she cried out. Looking further down the alley, Liam saw a black couple along with a old heavy set white man, laying in a pool of their own blood. The man he noticed was a rich man from america named Richard Davis. Looking back at the girl and then over at her parents Liam assumed that, they must have been Davis's slaves.

Standing to his feet, Liam walked over to Davis' body and stole his purse. 'The old bastard want be needing it anymore.' Liam thought to himself.

Then he looked down at the girl. With a sigh he sat down beside her again.

"Hey lass, what's your name?" he asked as he gently shook her on the shoulder.

"An...Angela." she said as she looked up at him again. Suddenly it was like he was looking at his little sister's face, he imagined as he looked at her crying.

"Well, Angela my name is Liam." he replied. "I'm sorry but your parents are... gone. Now come with me." Liam said as he stood to his feet. "I'll take you somewhere safe."

With that said, she put her hand in his and walked out of the dark alley. Never looking back.

A/N The characters in this story will seem to be out of character. But if you like this story then just read it and don't complain. Also don't worry they will be in the present day later in the fic. Also Angela is sixteen but she just looks older.


	2. Chapter 2 The Beginning

A/N thanks for the great reviews. To Euley Angela is 16, but she looks like she's about twenty and due to some research I found out that Liam was 26 at the time. I hope you guys still review. I had to change it from PG 13 to R because I wasn't sure about a few of the chapters I wrote.

Chapter 2

Two months past since the day Liam saved Angela. Not knowing anywhere else to go, they went back to his parents house. After alot of yelling and cursing, Liam bit down on his pride and asked his father for forgiveness, for Angela's sake.

His father didn't like the fact that, he and Angela were becoming so close. He even went as far as to try to make her a servant. Liam wouldn't have it and the two would constantly argue. Not wanting Kathy to grow up in an evironment like that, her parents shipped her away to Dublin where she stayed with her Aunt.

Hearing enough of their petty arguments, Liam's mother gave him a little money, so he could leave. Happily taking the money, Liam bought a little house where he and Angela stayed. He later took a job as a barkeep and Angela worked at a dress shop as a seamstress.

Many nights would pass and Liam would come home drunk. Angela would then scowled him over his behavior. Seeing that she was alway's trying to protect him, it was an ongoing joke between the two that she would be called his Angel.

* * *

Angela walked out of the dress shop carrying some food and some new trousers for Liam, with a huge smile on her face. It was the weekend and she was free to spend all of her time with Liam. Even though some people were still prejudice against her , she would always find comfort in him.

He never judged her for being black and he even fought his father over her. If people would see them together they would just think that she was a little whore and Liam was after her. But that was never the case. Liam never made sexual advances towards her and they had more of a sister and brother relationship.

But even though Angela saw Liam as a brother she would still check him out from time to time. Brother or not, Liam was still a very attractive man.

As she walks down a dark alley for a short cut home, she doesn't see the danger that lurks in the shadows.

"Hey pretty." a voice says from behind her. Startled out of her musings she drops her basket and spins around.

"H...hello." she says nervously as she begins to pick up her stuff.

"Don't worry lass." the man said as he began to help her pick up her things. "I'm not goin' to harm you. But that man behind you might." he said as a heavy set man came out of the shadows. Before Angela could do more then turn around the man in front of her grabbed her and pushed her up against the wall.

"N...no... please no..!" Angela shouted as they started to raise her dress up.

"Quiet Bitch!" one of the men growled as he slapped her in the face. Angela could only whimper and cry as they began to slide her under garments down.

"Hey!" a voice shouted from further down the alley. As the men look up they see a beautiful blonde smiling warmly at them.

"Move along now miss." the heavy set man said as he stood to his feet. "That is unless you want to join?" he said looking down at Angela.

"Actually." Darla said as she started to walk down the alley. "Wouldn't you two prefer an experienced woman, rather then..." she cast a glance down at Angela. "a child."

"Aye my kind of woman." the skinnier man said as they began to approach her.

"Wait." Darla purred as she walked past them and over to Angela. "Hey kid." she said as she picked up her basket. "Go home." she said as she handed it to her.

Casting a glance up at the older woman, Angela nodded her head, took the basket, and ran off into the night. Darla watched her retreating form with a smile on her face.

"Hey wench!" the larger man growled. "Get over here!"

"I'm coming." Darla said as she stood to her feet and turned around. Once she did so the men started to scream, because she had slipped into her vampiric visage.

"What's wrong boys?" Darla asked as she walked up to them. "Don't I get a kiss?" The men's screams were the only other sound that filled the alley. And then nothing.

* * *

Angela ran all the way home never looking back. Once she opened the door, she fell to the floor, dropped her basket, and started to weep.

"Angel, what's wrong?" Liam asks as he enters the room. Then he looks down and see's that her clothes are torn and dirty.

"What happened?" he asked as he gathered her up in his arms. Angela fell weakly into his embrace and started to sob into his chest.

"I...I..." was all she was able to get out. Not wanting to upset her even more he picks her up and takes her up to her room. As he layed her down in the bed and her tears started to subside, she started to tell him about what happened.

From her vague discription of the men who attacked her, he was able to figure out that they were the Molasky Brothers. Two bastards even he wouldn't stay around when he was a drunken mess.

As he watched her fall asleep, he got up from her bedside and brushed some hair off of her face.

"I'll be back soon." he promised as he stood to his feet. He was going to pay the Molasky Brothers a little visit. As he opened the door his eyes widened in surprise as he saw the beautiful noble woman from the tavern, two months ago.

"What's a lady of your station doing out at a time like this?" Liam asked. "Please come in." he said. As he moved to the side Darla walked in and smiled up at him.

"I was just returning this to your little friend." she said as she held up a small sewing kit. Liam's eyes went wide with surprise again.

"Aye, so you're the one who saved Angel?" Liam asked as he looks into her eyes. "Oh... But you're a pretty thing. Where are you from?"

"Around. Everywhere." Darla said with a smile.

"I never been anywhere myself." Liam admitted. "Always wanted to see the world, but..."

"I could show you." Darla cuts him off.

"Could you, then?" Liam asks as they stand closer together.

"Things you've never seen, never even heard of."

"Sounds exciting."

"It is. And frightening." Darla told him.

"I'm not afraid." Liam said as he put his arm around her waist. "Show me. Show me your world."

"Close your eyes." Darla said as she closed her own. Liam follows her example. She then puts her hand on his shoulder and vamps out. She smiles, lets out a low growl and opens wide as she leans in to bite him. When he feels the pain his eyes open wide, and he gasps.

He can't keep steady, and sinks to his knees. Darla lets go of her bite, revealing his bloody neck, and stands up straight. She lifts her hand to her chest and draws a sharp fingernail across the skin above her breasts, allowing blood to trickle out. She grabs him by the back of the neck and pulls him in to her bosom so that his lips fall directly onto the cut, forcing him to taste of her blood. He puts his arms around her and drinks.

"Liam what's going on?" Angela asks as she walks down the stairs. As she wipes the sleep out of her eyes she see's Liam dead on the floor with a woman hovering over him.

"Liam...oh no." Angel says not noticing Darla's face.

"Oh goody." Darla says as she stands to her feet. "I alway's wanted a little girl." she says as she runs to Angela and sinks her teeth into her neck. Not being able to fight against the woman, Angela falls weakly into her arms and then darkness.

TBC...

Please review...

A/N I know Darla seemed out of character for saying that she always wanted a daughter but hey, just go with it.


	3. Chapter 3 Funerals and awakenings

A/N thanks for that review FullWolfMoonGirl. I know it's hard reading an alternate universe fic. But if you like this one then read my other stories like problem's with the soul, Kendra the vampire slayer, and the hunter.

I'm also going to put up a what if story called The Last Slayer. It's about the consequences of Buffy activating all those Slayers. It stars Willow and Xander's daughter as she fights the forces of darkness. Let me know if you think I should post that one or not.

Chapter 3

Liam and Angela's funeral

Liam's mom and sister are crying while his dad stands looking straight ahead.

"He was taken too soon from the bosom of his family, a man of just 20 years and 6, Liam was well-loved by everyone he met." A priest says questioning his own words as he speaks them.

"Receive this your humble servant. We pray that you may take his eternal soul into your care, Father. This also the girl that he protected." The priest said moving over to Angela's open grave.

"A girl taken from life to soon. A girl at just 10 and 6 years old. She was well loved by Liam and he often called her his Angel. Father I humbly ask that you accept her spirit into your gates."

With that said they start slowly start to fill in their graves. The only mourner still standing beside the grave is Liam's father, still staring at his son's grave stone. He then reads over the words.

Liam O'Connor 1727 - 1753 Beloved Son. Feeling guilt over his son's death he put's his hand on the grave stone in mourning and walks over to his daughter and his wife.

Later that night

Darla walks up to Liams fresh grave that night and sits down beside it. Suddenly a hand breaks through the earth, Liam slowly claws his way out as Darla waits with a smile.

"Welcome to my world." Darla says as she helps Liam to his feet. "It hurts, I know, but not for long. Birth is always painful."

"I could feel them." Liam says as he starts breathing hard. "Above me - as I slept in the earth. Their heartbeats,their blood, coursing through their veins."

"Yes." Darla says with a smile.

"Was it a dream?" Liam asks.

"A dream for you. Soon - their nightmare." she answers. Suddenly a Groundskeeper comes up holding a lantern.

"You there!" the groundkeeper shouts. Then he sees the disturbed grave. "What have you done? Grave robbers!"

Liam slowly walks towards him, looks back at Darla who nods at him.

"You know what to do." Darla informs him. Liam turns back and morphs into his vamp face.

"Our Father," the Groundkeeper starts. "who art in heaven hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, give us this day our daily..." he screams as Liam sinks his fangs into him.

After a moment Liam breaks off to look at Darla again, then finishes draining the guy and drops him. He takes a couple deep breaths then turns back to Darla in human face.

"It all makes sense now, doesn't it?" Darla asks him.

"Perfect sense."

"You can do anything, have anyone in the village. Who will it be?"

"Any one?" Liam asks with a raised eyebrow. At her nod he continues. "I thought I'd take the village."

Suddenly some hands break free out of Angela's grave. Liam looks over with interest as Angela comes out of her grave.

"Ah my little Angel." Liam says as he helps her to stand up.

"Mmmm...Liam what's going on?" she asks as she falls into his arms.

"I'll explain later... sweet Angel."

"I hate that vile name." Darla said interrupting their moment. "Call her something else."

"What would you prefer?" he asks.

"Angelus." Darla says after a moment. "It's greek and it means one with an angelic face."

"It suits her." Liam says with an evil smile as he caresses her face.

"Come Angelus." Liam says as he turns his back to her. "It's time to get you something to eat."

Three days later

Liam's Father is busy nailing up his window from the inside. For the past three days he had heard that vampires were terrorizing the village. He didn't believe it at first, but then the bodies started to pile up.

Taking precautions for his family, he went to the elders of the village and asked them what to do. They informed him to hang garlic around his house and to annoint his doorway with holy water. But most importantly they told him to never invite someone in his home at night.

"You're no different from the rest of them, - are you, father?" a voice said snapping him out of his musings. He then spins around and stares at his son as he continues to talk.

"Cowering in their houses - boarding up the windows - smearing that foul herb in the doorways. You'd think something evil - and vile - and monstrous - had taken to terrorizing this village -and everyone in it."

"Be gone, unclean thing!" his father shouts out. "A demon can not enter a home where it's not welcome. He must be invited!"

"That's true. - But I was invited." Liam informs him. He then looks to the doorway. His father turns and sees his wife slumped against the wall.

"Och!" his father says with a tear threatening to fall from his eyes. He had told that woman not to invite anyone in.

"She thought I returned to her - an angel." Liam said with a smile.

His dad spins around and charges Liam with the hammer in his hand.

"Murderer!" he shouts out. Liam easily pushes the attack aside, making his dad fall to the ground.

"Strange." Liam said if considering something. "Somehow you seemed taller when I was alive."

"Lord, bind this demon now." his dad says as he flattens himself up against the wall.

"To think I ever let such a tiny, trembling thing make me feel the way you did." Liam says as he advances on him.

"I pray ye, give me your protection, Father." his dad pleads as he crosses himself.

"You told me I wasn't a man." Liam says as he slowly stalks closer to his dad. "You told me I was nothing. - and I believed you. You said I'd never amount to anything." His dad stares at him with wide-open eyes.

"Well, you were wrong." Liam then morphs into his vampiric face. "You see, father? - I have made something out of myself after all."

Angel puts a hand over his father's face and bites him. They slowly slide down the wall and onto the floor.

"Liam we couldn't find your sister." Angelus said as she and Darla walked into the room. After Liam drained his father dry, he looked back and regarded them.

"Donovan." Liam said as he wiped his mouth of blood.

"What?" Angelus asked confused.

"My name." he started as he stood to his feet. "My name is Donovan now. It's Irish and it means..."

"Dark Warrior." Darla answers for him.

"Yes my sweet." he says as they share a kiss. Angelus just looks at them annoyed.

"I still can't find your sister." Angelus says again. Making Donovon snap to attention.

"Not to worry Lass." he says as he glances at a closet door. He notices that the door is ajar some and as all is quiet he hears a heart beat. "I think I know where she is." he says as he breaks apart from Darla and walks slowly over to the closet door. As he's about to open it Darla shouts out to him.

"Donovan we have company." she said worriedly. As she stops and listens again, she hears a crowd clammering in the background.

"Then let's leave this place." he says as he turns around. "Sweet Kathy we will meet again." he says with his back still turned around from the closet. With that he, Angelus, and Darla left out of the backway of the house.

Inside the closet, Kathy is now breathing heavily from her brothers declaration. She had seen everything from the closet. She had seen when Liam had killed her mother and father. She had seen the people he was with and remembered their faces and their names.

"Yes brother, we will meet again." Kathy mutters to herself. By the look in her eyes you can see that what little innocence she once had is now gone. Only to be replaced by rage and the need for revenge.

TBC...

Please review...

Kathy will have a bigger part to play in this fanfic as well.


	4. Chapter 4 Reunion

Chapter 4

Reunion

France 1773, night

A wagon carrying three riders trots into a barn. Angelus, Donovan and Darla dismount.

"This is outrages! Don't these people know who we are?" Angelus says as she stalks around in the barn.

"I think they do. Which would explain the lynch mob." Darla tells her. "Look, we should all rest. It'll be dawn in a few hours and she won't last another mile, not carrying the three of us."

"Right. I hate the French." Donovan says as he closes the barn door. "We should go some place like Romania."

"In Italy you said we should go some place like France." Darla says incredously.

"At least in Romania they really know how to treat a creature of the night." Donovan says back.

"You were craving rich food, that's what you said, something - French." Darla says as she lights a lantern while Angelus looks out at the dark countryside.

"The valley seems quiet." Angelus says.

"I told you we lost them back in Arles. So stop worrying." Darla says in a motherly tone.

"This Hunter, how does she keep finding us?" Donovan asks.

"Well, we stay in the best hotels, order room service, eat the waiters - people talk." Darla says half amused.

"She's no mere mortal, I tell you that." Donovan says pondering about who the mystery hunter is. So far they could only tell that it was a woman.

"Of course she is." Darla said with mock anger. "She's just a woman, a vampire hunter."

"Yeah." Donovan scoffs. "Good enough to have driven us into a stinking barn like animals."

"All right then, let's be animals, at least for tonight." Darla says with a smile as she walks over to a pile of hay and reclines on it. "Unless, of course, you're too tired."

"Shouldn't we be keeping watch?" Donovan asks.

"Angelus can do it and besides we'll hear hoof beats should anyone approach." Darla says.

Angelus growls low in her throat but does as she's told. She always hated being left out of the fun stuff.

"You always make the best of it, don't you?" Donovan asks as he walks over to Darla and smiles.

"Come now you have to admit that the chase can be exhilarating." Darla says as Donovan drops to his knees beside her. "Especially with the proper companion."

"Mom!" Angelus shouts out.

"Not now Angelus!" Darla shouts back annoyed. "Just watch the window."

"But mom."

"Not now!" Donovan and Darla shout back in unison.

Donovan then leans down to kiss Darla when suddenly a flaming stake whizzes by where his head was moments before and sticks to a wooden post.

"Damnit!" Donovan growls as he stands to his feet. "I thought I told you to watch the window." He says as he stands beside Angelus and looks out the window.

The barn starts to set on fire and is surrounded by screaming peasants, carrying torches.

"How many men do you suppose she has with her?" Angelus asks.

"I can't die. Not like this." Darla says as she stands to her feet.

"Well, we can try to flee to the hills to the south." Donovan suggests.

"We'll never make it before the sun rises, not by foot." Darla says as she breaks off the wood and reins that's holding the horse to the wagon.

"We'll not make it easy for 'em, I can tell you that. They're men - mortals. Between the three of us we can go out with a reputation." Donovon says as he looks outside through a crack. "Even death with the right companion..."

As he turns back towards Darla she hits him across the face with a 2x4, knocking him down. As he slowly picks himself back up, she hurriedly mounts the horse along with Angelus.

"I hope you survive this, Donovan." Darla says as she gets control over the horse. "If you do, maybe we'll meet again in Vienna."

"Bye Daddy." Angelus says with a smile and a wave. With that the two of them ride out of the barn and into the night.

"Damn women." Donovon said with a growl. Suddenly the barn door explodes off of it's hinges. As Donovon looks up a figure emerges out of the dust and shadows. It's a beautiful young woman with firey red hair, carrying a crossbow.

"Hello Liam." the woman says in an irish accent, as she levels her crossbow at him. "Long time no see."

"So you're the famous hunter?" Donovan asks as he walks closer to her. "And how is it that you know my name?"

"Come now brother..." the woman says as she takes off her hat. "don't you remember your baby sister?"

"Kathy?" Donovan says with a shake of his head. "I alway's knew you'd grow up to be a beautiful woman." he says as he walks up closer to her.

"Ahh ahh brother." Kathy says as she raises her crossbow so it's leveled at his heart. "If you take another step then I'll have to dust you."

Before Donovan can respond one of Kathy's men shout out her name.

"Lady Katherine..." as the man yells out her name, she quickly looks back. Using this as a distraction, Donovan runs forward and slaps the crossbow out of her hand. Going with the motion she flicks her hand up and punches him in the face.

As she tries to punch him again, he grabs her arm and pulls her in close.

"Sweet Kathy..." he says as he kisses her roughly on the mouth. "we'll meet again." he promises as he tosses her like a rag doll, up against a wall. Immediately jumping back up with her crossbow in hand, she scans the room only to find her brother gone.

"Count on it brother." she whispers to herself.

Rome 1774

Some rats scurry along an underground sewer tunnel. Donovan runs by. He had caught up to Darla and Angelus and then lost them again. But he had heard that they were in the area. As he hears voices he snaps out of his musings. He looks behind him and sees a group of monks carrying torches coming his way. Turns a corner, only to see other torch carrying groups of monks down a couple other branches.

Donovan comes up on a sewer grate. He pulls the center grating loose, steps through, then wedges it back in place behind him.

As he turns, he stumbles, tumbles down the slanting tunnel, crashes through another grate and lands on the floor of some underground chamber lit by torches. He is surrounded by monks with crossbows aimed at him.

A pair of double doors swing open behind him, letting in bright sunlight. Donovan throws himself to the ground out of the direct light surrounded by a thin cloud of smoke.

A rider brings her horse to a stop just inside the doors and dismounts. One of the monks leads the horse away as the rider makes her way over to a red robbed priest, while Donovan picks himself up from the floor.

"Thank you, Monsignor. I am in your debt." Kathy says. She had been following her brother for nearly a year. Finally after her clever ruse she had led him here.

"No, this animal murdered your family." Monsignor says as he points at Donovan. "Hold the beast!"

Chains then wrap around Donovan's upper arms and chest.

"Monsignor Rivalli, performed our baptism when we were children." Kathy says as she steps closer to him. "Do you remember that brother?"

"I remember all of what your brother knew." Donovan says back to her.

"The good monsignor has since then been excommunicated. The order he founded, Inquisitore, adheres to the old beliefs. They're traditionalists and quite good at their work. Let's get started, shall we?"

Kathy takes a sharp hook and some knives from one of the monks. She then digs it into the side of Donovan's neck, making the cloth around it rip.

"Ah. Aah!" Donovan screams in pain. Kathy just watches him with an amused smile on her face. We see the sun rise and set while hearing Donovan's screams in the background.

The monsignor is walking cross the room, reading a book. Kathy is sitting on a bench, drinking from a cup. We hear some monks recite in the background and Donovan gasping in pain.

"You lost me in Spain. I knew you'd come back to Europe, but Rome Donovan?" Kathy asks as she gets up and walks around him. Donovan is suspended from the ceiling by chains around his wrists.

"Why in Gods name would you come to the seat of all that's holy?"

"Angelus my little girl...she loves the Sistine chapel." Donovan gasps out.

"Michelangelo?" Kathy asks slightly interested.

"Not him. She's mad about Botticelli's frescos." Donovan says as he groans. "The Temptation of Christ is her favorite - probably because of the leper."

"What do you want, sister?" Donovan finally asks as he lets out a sigh.

Kathy picks up a three-pronged claw and looks at it.

"I don't want anything. My family is gone. I don't trust you to give me Darla or Angelus, although I will find them, you know that. My only desire here - is to discover if a thing such as yourself can be made to pay for its sins." she says as she digs the claw into his thigh, near his unmentionables.

"You're a demon." she says as Donovan groans. "It is your nature to maim and kill. But you were also once a man, my brother. If we beat and burn the demon out of your living flesh, will there be anything left? Will my brother return to me?" She asks as she digs the claw into him again.

"Will he come back?" she asks as she takes the claw back out. "I doubt it. But I'm willing to spend the next fortnight of my life finding out. In either event, you have no soul, you can not be saved."

Suddenly a flaming arrow streaks across the room and buries itself in one of the monks.

"Sorry it took me so long darling." Darla says. She's standing in a tunnel opening, holding a crossbow loaded with another flaming arrow. There are other vampires with her.

"Kill them." Darla orders her minions as she fires her flaming bolt, hitting Kathy in the shoulder. The vampires streak past her and attack the monks. Several vampires get staked by the monks during the fight, but that doesn't slow the rest of them down.

Monsignor confronts Darla with a cross held in front of him.

"Vai' all inferno, demonio lordo!" Monsignor shouts out. Translation "Go to hell foul demon!"

Darla pushes the cross aside, then sends the Monsignor flying into a wall.

"No, grazie, padre." Darla replies.

The double doors that Kathy rode in through is pulled down and a horse and carriage driven by a blanket shrouded Angelus trot in.

Darla unclips Donovon's chains. Two other vampires catch him under the arms and drop him onto the back of the cart. Kathy tries to get up. Darla knocks her across the chin, then joins a groaning Donovon on the cart.

"Darlin'?" Donovon groans out.

"What?" Darla asks.

"Shouldn't we be killing my sister?"

"I know, but it's just so much fun ruining her life. Plus she's our family remember?"

Donovon then pulls Darla into a kiss as Angelus covers them with a tarp. The wagon heads out into the sunlight, with the blanket shrouded Angelus at the reins.

Kathy watches them leave with a tear in her eye. That was probably her only chance to rid the world of Donovon and she blew it. All of her sources and informants were either dead or dried up.

"Forgive me brother." she says as she passes out from the blood loss.

TBC...

Please review...


	5. Chapter 5 Goodbye Angelus Hello Angel

Chapter 5

Goodbye Angelus, Hello Angel

Borsa, Romania 1898

Darla and Donovan follow a blindfolded Angelus into a house.

"Can I take off this blindfold yet, mom?" Angelus asks with a smile.

"No." Darla said with a smile of her own.

"Can I take off something else?" Angelus asks as she grabs Donovan around the waist.

"After I give you your present." Donovan says as he gives her a kiss. "You can never have enough of those. Come on."

They lead her into another room, then take her blindfold off. She see's a fire burning in a fireplace and as she looks down she see's a bound and gagged girl lying in front of it.

"Happy birthday, Angelus." Darla says happily. She loved playing the mother role.

"She's a gypsy." Angelus says happily

"We looked everywhere." Donovan tells her.

"What would I do without you two?" Angelus asks.

"Whither and die." Donovan says as he gives her a kiss on the forehead. "She is not just for you, me and your mother get to watch."

Angelus goes and leans down over the girl. She pushes her skirt up while she squirms, then vamps out and bites her thigh while Darla and Donovan watch.

"I'm so proud of my little girl" Donovan says as he holds onto Darla tighter. He had taught Angelus all of what he knew. And with the editions of Dru and William, their little family was complete.

"I know what you mean." Darla says looking up at him. "I hope nothing ever changes."

A wood in Romania

Later on time undisclosed

Angelus runs through the trees, panting in her desperation to reach a gypsy camp. Meanwhile in the camp, the dead body of the young Kalderash Gypsy girl that Angelus has recently killed is on a table dressed in white and lying on an intricately patterned quilt with candles burning around the perimeter.

Members of the clan are laying rose petals on her. The Elder Woman of the tribe is sitting beneath a tent canopy and chanting over an Orb of Thesulah surrounded by candles within a sacred circle. Angelus continues running through the woods as she chants.

"Nici mort, nici de-al fiintei, Te invoc, spirit al trecerii. Reda trupului ce separa omul de animal! Translation: Neither dead, nor of the living, I invoke you, spirit of the passing. Return to the body what distinguishes woman from the beast!

Angelus breaks through the trees into the clearing of the camp. She trips and falls by the great bonfire raging near the center of the camp.

"Asa sa fie." the Elder Woman chants. Translation: So it shall be." Angelus gets to her hands and knees and looks over at the Elder Woman, still chanting. "Utrespur aceastui. Translation: Restore this one."

The glowing Orb suddenly gets very bright for an instant, and then goes dark.

Then Angelus' eyes grow bright for a moment, then return to normal. Her soul is now restored. An elder man of the clan steps up to her as she sits back on her ankles.

"It hurts, yes?" the gypsy man asks. "Good. It will hurt more."

"Where am I?" Angel asks confused as she pants hard.

"You don't remember... everything you've done for a hundred years. In a moment, you will. The face of everyone you killed... our daughter's face... they will haunt you, and you will know what true suffering is." he explains.

"Killed?" Angel asked still not understanding. "I, I don't..." Slowly the memories come back to her: all the people in Budapest after the earthquake that she and Darla killed for their blood; all the people she's turned into demons; the gypsy girl that proved to be her downfall.

"No..." Angel says as she looks down and away from the man and begins to sob.

"No... No... No..." she cries out as she bends down to the ground in sorrow and grief.

Hours later

Darla and Donovan enter the house Angelus, Dru and William are apparently living in.

"Angelus?" Darla calls out. "Are you here? Angelus?" They then walk into the other room and see Angelus huddled up against a wall.

"Not everyone screams." Angel tells them as they walk into the room.

"What?" Darla asked walking up closer to her.

"When you kill them. Some just stand there, frozen... While others..."

"What are you doin'? Are we playing a game?" Donovan asks.

"The children - they usually scream."

"Hmm, yes." Darla says with a smile. "They sound just like little pigs. Have you brought me some?" she asks as she looks around.

"What you don't think me and your mother will share?" Donovan asked. "What have I always told you lass, as a family we share."

Angel turns away from the wall. She looks pretty ragged.

"We've drunk and killed for how long now dad?" Angelus asks with a tear in her eye. "140 years. We've drunk them all up and they're all dead."

"Where have you been?" Donovan asks as he tries to take her face into his hands.

"Don't." Angel says as she pushes him away.

"What is this?" Donovan questions. Angelus had never refused to let him touch her. Something was very wrong. "I'm going to get William and Dru." he says as he walks out of the room.

With him gone, Angel looks over at Darla with pleading eyes and takes a hold of her shoulders and leans against her in a hug.

"No. Let go." Darla says as she pushes her away. "Let go of me! What happened to you? Angelus, what happened?"

"That gypsy girl you brought me, her people found out." Angel said on the verge of tears. "Mom... mom they did something to me."

"A spell?" Darla asks worried.

"It's funny mom. You would think with all the people I've maimed and killed I wouldn't be able to remember every single one." she says as Darla walks up to her. "Please mom...help me." Angel said as she starts to break down crying.

Darla lays a hand against the side of her face: "The spell..." Darla says as she realizes what's happened. "they gave you a soul. A filthy soul! No!" Darla yells in outrage as she scratches her cheek. "You're disgusting!"

"Mom."

Darla picks up a wooden chair to ward her off: "No, get away from me."

"You brought her here mom." Angel says as she tries to come closer. Darla smashes the chair and picks up one of the legs and tries to stake Angel.

"I'm like you." Angel says as she avoids Darla's swing.

"You're not like anything." Darla said still holding tightly at her stake. "Get away from me. Get out!" she yells as Angel stumbles out of the house. "I'll kill you if you ever come back!"

After hearing this Angel walks away from the house. She looks back once to see the person who had been like a mother to her for over 100 years, standing in the door, stake raised. With tears in her eyes she walks away. Darla watches her go, slowly lowering her stake with a tear in her own eye.

"Darla, where is Angelus?" Donovan asks from behind her, with William and Dru. Then Darla told them what she had done.

"You bloody did what!" William the bloody yelled loud enough to shake the house. He was quite fond of Angelus and dispite her being older, she would always call him Uncle Willy. They mostly had a brother and sister relationship and she never made fun of his bad poetry.

"Angelus!" he yelled as he ran out of the house. "Angelus!" he yelled again as he looked around. But she was no where in sight.

"She's just a little girl." William said as he came back into the house. "How could you turn your back on her?"

"She's older than you, Uncle Willy." Donovan tells him. "She can take care of herself. I taught her that much."

"But..."

"It's alright William." Drusilla said taking his hand in hers. "The stars tell me that we shall meet our little neice again."

"Alright..." William says angrily as he looks out of the window and into the night. "I'll wait for her."

An hour later

Angel walks along a street in Borsa at night. A beautiful blonde woman and three men come out of an inn.

"Mia foame. (I am hungry)" Angel says as she approaches them.

"Get away!" one of the men yelled.

"Leave her alone." the woman said gently. "She is just a beggar."

"Here have some food on us." one of the men says as he throws Angel a coin.

Angel picks the money off the ground and throws it back at the man. "I don't want your money!" she declared.

"How dare you!" another one of the men yelled in outrage.

"I want her." she says as she morphs into her vamp face. The woman with the blonde hair just reminded her to much of her mother.

"She is a monster! She is a monster!" the woman yelled frantically.

"I am a monster! I am a monster!" Angel shouted back as the three men drag her into an alley.

The woman hears the sounds of fighting and suddenly one of the men comes flying through the air, right past her.

"Rudolph?" the woman says as she doesn't hear anything for a while.

"Are you all right? Rudolph?"

Angel comes out of the alley, grabs the woman and drags her into the alley. She pushes her up against a wall and sinks herfangs into her neck.

"I can't. Oh god, I can't." Angel cries as she stumbles out of the alley.

The woman steps up to the corner of the alley breathing hard and leaning against the wall. As she watches Angel go she fingers the bite mark on her neck.

Angel stumbles against a wall gasping, looking desperate, then moves on.

TBC...

Please review...


	6. Chapter 6 Destiny

Chapter 6

New York 1996

The Ebony Rose Strip Club

A short man with tacky clothes, hiked the collar of his leather jacket up as he waited in line. Why the Powers That Be always made him come on these missions, especially in the cold weather of New York, was beyond him. Clearing his mind of those thoughts he stopped to listen to the the music. The loud number that was playing he could hear from outside. The throb of the bass, he could feel while he waited in line.

Whistler paid the cover and walked inside. After his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the club, he saw beautiful women walking around half naked and men slapping their asses. As he walked to sit down at a table, he started to scan the club. He could smell the stench of sex as he looked at the people around him. The people there looked to be from the ages of 18 to 45. Some were just lonely guys looking for fun and others were married, and wanted to escape into a fantasy He even saw a few women scattered around; one was in a corner giving a lap dance.

As he looked up he saw a beautiful black girl on stage. She owned the pole. Her agility, and flexibility gave her a grace and beauty none of the other girls in the club could match. She wore a red halter- top shirt with "Baby Doll" on the front, that was cut so low it came to just under her breasts. She also had a red thong, five-inch heels, and a garter on her right thigh that was full of money.

She pulled herself up and down the pole easily twisting and spinning and stretching beyond what a normal woman could possibly do. She seductively walked to the edge of the stage, allowing the guys to give her cash while she ignored them, didn't even look at them. As if she was disgusted with their closeness to her.

Seeing that it was as good a time as any, Whistler stepped around several men and moved to the edge of the stage. He held a hundred dollar bill out in his hand and she slid down onto the floor of the stage, coming closer to him. He reached out and slid the bill into her garter, and slowly rubbed at her thigh. As he touched her leg, her head whipped around quickly and she stared directly at him.

Whistler grinned a little at this. 'Maybe she can sense that I'm a demon.' he thought to himself.

"I'd love a private dance," he said quietly. He knew she would still hear him. "I have something for you." She sneered at what it seemed like he was suggesting. She opened her mouth to reply, but he smiled at her.

Angel's eyes narrowed. Ignoring her glare, he turned around and moved away from the stage. She would follow, he knew.

Angel hesitated for only a second before she slid down off the stage, pushed the guys who crowded around her out of the way, and followed the demon. Demons in human form, had come to the club before, but something about this guy unnerved her.

She watched as the demon slid onto one of the padded leather benches which lined the walls, and slouched down. Angel stopped a few feet from him and took a closer look at the "man". Besides the awful clothes he wore, he seemed like an ordinary sleazy guy.

"What do you want, demon?" Angel spat.

"A lap dance maybe." he said with an easy smile. At her glare, he became a little more serious.

"I want to get you out of here, kid."

"I'm not a kid!" Angel snapped as she crossed her arms over her chest. "And I'm not interested in some little sex game of your's either." she informed him.

"I'm not here for any kind of game. I'm here because The Powers That Be, want me to send you on your destiny."

"My destiny?" Angel scoffed. "Listen buddy, if that's all you have to say to me, then let me show you to the door." she said as she turned her back to him.

"But what about your soul?" he asked, making her stop dead in her tracks. "I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself, for all the murders, for all the people you killed..."

"Just stop it!" Angel shouted, making some people look up to see what the commotion was about. "Don't you think I regret what I've done?" Angel asked quieter.

"Yeah, I know you regret it." Whistler said as he stood and walked up to her. "But what are you going to do about it? Stay here and strip to the end of eternity or are you going to stand up and be somebody?"

"I can't be somebody." Angel said a little sadly. "I'm not even a person." she mutters under her breath.

"Well you have a chance to go either way here, kid. You can either stay here and rot or you can come with me." he said as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Angel called out, making him turn around. "What do you have to show me?"

Hemery High School in Los Angeles

A few days later

School is over for the day, and the students come streaming out. An old, rusted Chevy Impala with its windows spray-painted black pulls up on the far side of the street. The driver's window lowers, and Angel squints out into the daylight, careful to remain in shadow. She looks over at the building and sees Buffy come down the steps with three of her friends.

Buffy climbs back up a few steps and looks around. She takes off her jacket and sits down to wait for Tyler. She lays the jacket across her legs and idly looks around again. A man in a black suit approaches her. He is her first Watcher, who has finally found her.

"Who is she?" Angel asks, as she watches her talk to her Watcher.

"Her name's Buffy." Whistler informed her. "And just like you, she has a destiny to fulfill."

"What's her destiny?"

"To become a Slayer. One of the best actually." Whistler said as they start to drive off. "But she's not going to make it for long, without your help."

"What can I do?" Angel asked.

"Just watch and learn, kid."

Later that night

In an LA cemetery

"Oof!" Buffy says as she lands flat on her back. A vampire props himself over her, growling menacingly. She is very frightened, and looks around frantically for what to do.

Angel watches from behind some gravestones. Buffy spots her stake, but can't reach it, so she just gets her hands underneath the vampire and pushes him off. He flies off of her and lands hard on his back.

"Oh, God..." She cries out. She rolls onto her hands and knees and scrambles on all fours to retrieve her stake.

"Oh, God... Oh... Oh, God... Unh!" She grabs the stake and quickly gets to her feet. She looks at it, unsure of what to do next. The vampire gets up and lunges at her. Reflexively she grabs him, sidesteps him and sends him flipping over to the ground again, dazed.

She looks at the vampire, amazed by what she just did. She glances back at the Watcher, down at her stake and then makes her move to dispatch the vampire. She quickly gets to her knees, raises the stake above her head and plunges it into him, but gets him in the gut instead of the chest.

"Oh! Not the heart!" she cries as Angel watches, concerned. Buffy plunges the stake into the vampire again, and this time hits her mark. An instant later the vampire bursts into ashes. Buffy is caught by surprise, and she screams and jumps back, landing on her butt. She just stares at the ashes on the grass in wide- eyed shock. Behind her Merrick steps up.

"You see? You see your power?" Merrick asks. Buffy isn't at all sure she wants to see. Having seen enough, Angel leaves.

Angel goes down in the sewers and arrives where Whistler is waiting for her.

"She's gonna have it tough, that Slayer." Whistler says with a shake of his head. "She's just a kid, like you. The world's full of big, bad things."

"I wanna help her." Angel says suddenly as Whistler looks up at her. "I want... I wanna become somebody."

"This isn't gonna be easy. The more you live in this world, the more you see how apart from it you really are."

"I know." Angel whispered quietly. The strip club wasn't the real world. It was only fantasy. "I wanna learn from you." Angel says with resolve.

"Alright." Whistler says with a smug smile.

"But I don't wanna dress tacky like you." she says as she starts to leave.

"Again, you're annoying me, kid." Whistler says as he follows her. "You're lucky we need you on our side."

Tibetan Monastary

1997

Angel is in the middle of a large open room, carrying on a battle with a number of monks all in red. Angel wears white, has a few cuts on her back and chest where her shirt is ripped and blood stains the shirt. She takes a staff from one of the monks and uses it to defeat several of them.

One of the monks hits Angel with the staff and she stumbles back against a pillar. She falls to the floor, rolls over as the monk tries to stake her with the staff. Angel grabs the staff and uses it to throw the monk against a pillar.

Another monk does some flips over Angel and then another one attacks her with another staff. Angel jumps up, grabs the bottom of an overhanging balcony, kicks the monks, swings herself up onto the balcony where another monk attacks her with a large sword. She punches the monk, jumps over the balcony railing, throws the monk through the railing to the floor below, then jumps down after him.

Taking some ninja sai's out of their sheathes at her side, she twirls them in her hands as a sadistic smile appears on her face. As two monks run at her, she throws her weapons at them, hitting them both in the heart. As the other demon monks surround her, she goes into her vampiric visage.

After a few minutes the monastery doors open. A couple of monks wearing a different costume, real monks this time, are waiting when Angel opens the door. On the floor inside they can see many of the red-costumed monks lying around, dead.

"You ready to go, kid?" Whistler asks, as he walks up from behind the monks.

"Yeah." Angel replied with a smile. "I feel good, I feel fit. Sunnydale here I come."

TBC...

Please review...


	7. Chapter 7 Welcome to the Hellmouth

A/N It seems that someone else has chosen the name Angelus for there story. Just remember that I put that name up first and that these are two different stories. That is all.

Chapter 7

Welcome to the Hellmouth

Angel had just left the Bronze. She had been spying on Buffy all day. But at the Bronze she noticed two wierd things. One, Buffy seemed to sense a vampire out of a crowd and two she picked up a scent of someone, she hadn't seen in over one hundred years.

Ignoring that fact, she begins to think about her situation. If Buffy can sense vampires so easily, then I can't get close to her. As she walks down a street away from the bronze, she see's one of the people Buffy was talking to earlier. With a plan forming in her head, she slips up behind him and follows.

* * *

Xander is walking down a dark street with a smile on his face. He is going to meet the new girl Buffy at the Bronze and it has him a little giddy. Even though he heard Buffy and the new Librarian talking about vampires, he was still happy to meet up with her. As he continues to walk, someone appears behind him. He senses that he is being followed.

After walking for a ways, when he gets a chance he ducks down an alley and looks around for a place to hide. A cat yowls and kicks some cans as it runs away. Ducking behind a dumpster, he watches as a beautiful black girl walks into the light of an above street lamp and down the alley. Normally he would be happy to meet such a pretty girl, but something about her seemed off. Almost dangerous. As she passes by the dumpster, Xander stands to his feet and makes a run for it.

"Where are you going, stud?" the girl suddenly asked, still with her back turned from him. Xander is frozen in place. Turning slowly he saw that the girl was looking at him, with an emotionless expression on her face.

The girl looked simply amazing. She had long black hair, a beautiful face and body, and some of the most intense liquid brown eyes he had ever seen. Throw that in with a skin tight leather outfit, that accentuated all of her curves, especially her c-cup breasts, this girl was the total package.

"Oh um...just going to meet some friends." Xander says lamely.

"Is one of them, Buffy?" she asked.

"How did you know..."

"What's your name?"

"Alex...but my friends call me Xander."

"Well Xander." the girl said as she stepped closer to him. "I need you to do me a favor." she said as she ran her hand through his hair.

"Anything..." Xander replied as he closed his eyes to enjoy her touch. Even if she felt strangely cold.

"Good." she said as she rubbed at his jawline and dropped her hand to the side. "I need you to deliver a message to Buffy. I need you to tell her that bad things are coming and that she should beware of the Harvest. Oh and give her this." she said as she handed Xander a small black box. As Xander opened it he saw that it was a beautiful all silver cross.

Before Xander could reply, he heard someone calling out Willow's name. After a second he recognized it as Buffy. Turning he saw Buffy sprint past the alley, running frantically.

"That was Buffy, maybe you could..." he stops talking as he turns back around and finds that the mystery girl is gone. With a frown he runs out of the alley and catches up with Buffy.

"Oh, Xander have you seen Willow?" Buffy asked, once Xander ran up to her side.

"No not tonight." Xander said a little out of breath from his slight jog. "But listen Buffy this girl..."

"She left with a guy." Buffy said interrupting him. "I think he's dangerous."

"Why? Oh, hey I hope it's not because he's a vampire, because then you'll have to slay him."

"Was there a... a school bulletin?" Buffy asked taken aback. "Was it i-in the newspaper? Is there anyone in this town who doesn't know I'm the Slayer?"

"No. I only know that you think that you're the Slayer, and the reason why I know that..."

"Well, whatever, it doesn't matter, just tell me, where would Willow go?"

"You're serious?" Xander asked.

"We don't find her and there's gonna be one more dead body in the morning!"

"Okay." Xander said fearing for his best friends life. "Just take this, I'll explain later." Xander said as he handed, Buffy the box that the strange girl had given him.

The cemetery

Willow and Thomas are walking, along a path.

"Oh, okay, th-this is nice... and scary. Are you sure this is faster?" Willow asks as they reach the mausoleum.

"Hey! Ever been in one of these?" Thomas asks.

"No. Thank you." Willow says as she turns away.

"Come on." Thomas says as he comes up behind her and pulls her hair back. "What are  
you afraid of?"

He moves in toward her neck. She lets out a yelp as he grabs her and pushes her into the mausoleum. Willow trips down the stairs and stops up against the stone coffin. She turns around angrily.

"That wasn't funny!"

Thomas comes down the steps. She backs away from him, against a wall. She trips over some stones.

"I think I'm gonna go." Willow says as she straighten's herself.

"Is that what you think?" Thomas asks with a sadistic grin.

He comes toward her again. She skirts by him, but only because he lets her. Suddenly a beautiful blonde with a catholic school girl outfit blocks her way out of the mausoleum.

"Is this the best you could do?" Darla asks as she looks over at Thomas.

"She's fresh!" Thomas lamely defends himself.

"Hardly enough to share." Darla says giving Willow a dissapproving look.

"Why didn't you bring your own?"

"I did." Darla says giving him a look.

As if on cue Jesse stumbles into the mausoleum, holding his neck.

"Hey! Wait up!" Jesse said as he stumbled into the room.

"Oh, my God, Jesse!" Willow exclaims as she runs to him. He is weak from blood loss and collapses. Willow tries to catch him and breaks his fall.

"Y'know, you gave me a hickey." Jesse said to Darla on the verge of loosing consciousness.

Thomas gives Darla a look.

"I got hungry on the way." Darla says with a shrug.

"Hey where's Donovan?" Thomas asks.

* * *

"That was a smooth move involving, Xander." Whistler said to Angel as they continued their walk to her apartment. "Believe it or not, but he has a destiny to fulfill too."

"You know, I'm getting a little tired of this destiny thing." Angel says as she opens the door to her apartment. As she does so, she immediately senses something wrong. "Who's in here?" she asks as her and Whistler walk into the front room.

"Only me." a voice says from behind them, as he hit's Whistler over the head with a bat. Angel looks back and her eye's go wide at who she see's.

"Daddy?"

* * *

"Jesse, let's get outta here!" Willow says frantically as she supports Jesse's weight.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere." Darla says as she get's in front of her.

"Leave us alone!" Willow says trying to sound brave.

"You're not going anywhere until we've..." Darla vamps out. "fed!"

Willow screams and falls back down next to Jesse. Buffy and Xander show  
up.

"Well, this is nice. I-it's a little bare, but a dash of paint, a few throw pillows... call it home!" Buffy quips as she moves behind a coffin to draw the vampires away from the others.

"Who the hell are you?" Darla asks sensing power off of the petite blonde.

"You mean there's actually someone in this town who doesn't know already?" Buffy asks sarcasticly. "Whew, that's a relief, I'm telling you! Having a secret identity in this town is a job of work."

"Buffy, we bail now, right?" Xander asks, having a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Not yet!" Thomas answers for her.

"Okay, first of all, what's with the outfit?" Buffy asks Thomas. "Live in the now, okay? You look like DeBarge."

Darla and Thomas then close in on her. Buffy just turns to Darla.

"Now, we can do this the hard way, or... well, actually there's just the hard way." Buffy informs them.

"That's fine with me." Darla says with a shrug.

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked with a raised eyebrow. "Now, this in not gonna be pretty. We're talking violence, strong language, adult content..."

Thomas roars behind Buffy, cutting off her senseless rambling. She pulls a chair leg out from inside her shirt, that she had got from the Bronze. He attacks from behind, but Buffy neatly jams the makeshift stake into his chest. He falls back and turns to ashes. Darla can't believe her eyes. Neither can anyone else.

"See what happens when you roughhouse?" Buffy quips.

"He was young and stupid." Darla says, shaken up a bit.

"Xander, go!" Buffy yells out.

"Don't go far!" Darla calls out.

Buffy and Darla start to fight. Darla punches high, but Buffy blocks. Xander helps Willow pick up Jesse. Darla throws a backhand punch, but Buffy blocks again and follows up with a front snap kick to Darla's stomach. As she leans forward from the pain, Buffy slams her elbow into Darla's back.

Xander and Willow help Jesse out of the mausoleum and they start to run. Meanwhile back inside the mausoleum Darla hit's the wall and falls to the floor slightly winded.

"You know, I just wanted to start over. Be like everybody else. Have some friends, y'know, maybe a dog... But, no, you had to come here, you couldn't go suck on some other town."

"Who are you?" Darla asks again.

"Don't you know?" Buffy replies as she tilts her head to the side. Suddenly a beefy hand grabs her by the neck from behind.

"I don't care!" the hulking vampire says as he throws her across the room. Buffy bounces of the wall and falls to the floor in a heap. He then grabs Darla and lifts her to her feet.

"You were supposed to be bringing an offering for the Master!" the vampire growls. "We're almost at Harvest, and you dally with this child."

"We had someone, but then she came." Darla says fearfully. "She killed Thomas. Luke, she's strong."

"You go." Luke says as he let's her arm go. "I'll see if I can handle the little girl."

He approaches Buffy as she starts to get up, still a little dazed. Darla quickly climbs the steps, looks back once and runs out of the door. Luke attacks Buffy with a double punch, but she blocks it and delivers a punch to his gut and a hopping front snap kick to his jaw. He steps back, but isn't fazed.

"You're strong." Luke says as he lands a solid backhand fist on her, sending her flying. "I'm stronger!"

outside in the cemetery

Xander and Willow are supporting Jesse as they run.

"We'll get the police, it's just a few blocks up." Willow says, breathing heavily.

They are suddenly stopped by a group of vampires, that emerge out of the darkness.

"You're wasting my time." Luke says as he sneers at Buffy. She backs away up the stairs toward the exit.

"Hey, I had other plans, too, okay."

Luke shoves the heavy lid off of the coffin sending it flying. Buffy does a cartwheel onto and over it to avoid it and kicks Luke in the chest with both feet, knocking him down. She grabs the stake from the floor and lunges at Luke, but he is too quick for her, and grabs her by the wrist.

"You think you can stop me?" Luke asks. "Stop us?" He grabs the stake with his other hand and breaks it. Then he grabs her by the shirt. "You have no idea what you're dealing with."

He throws Buffy onto the rim of the now open coffin. She rolls off onto the floor, dazed. Luke gets up and starts toward her, quoting scripture.

" 'And like a plague of boils, the race of man covered the Earth.But on the third day of the newest light would come the Harvest. And the blood of men will flow as wine.'

Cut to the Master sitting in an intricately carved chair.

" 'When the Master will walk among them once more!' "

Cut to Xander, Willow and Jesse surrounded by vampires, including Darla.

" 'The Earth will belong to the old ones. And Hell itself will come to town.' "

He grabs Buffy and growls. He lifts her by the throat and throws her toward the coffin. Buffy flips over in a front layout and lands in the coffin next to a skeleton, and lets out a quick scream, but then remains silent, only breathing. She can't see or hear Luke. She slowly starts to get up. Suddenly Luke jumps up and into the coffin.

"Amen!" Luke says smiling widely as he moves in to bite Buffy.

* * *

"Daddy?" Angel asks as she takes a good look at the figure stepping out of the shadows.

"Yes my sweet." Donovan says as he drops the baseball bat on the floor. "It's me."

"H...how did you find me here?" Angel asked, suddenly nervous.

"I saw you earlier today when I came to town." Donovan says as he approaches her. "So I followed you and saw you come here. When you left again I broke into your place, which is nice by the way." he says taking a look around.

"What are you doing here?" Angel asked feeling a little bit braver.

"To cause trouble, rule the world, to make The Master arise..."

"So that's what you're doing? I thought you hated him?"

"I do." Donovan replied with a low growl. "But if I didn't help, I would never hear the end of it from your mother."

"Mom's here too?" Angel asked. 'No wonder I picked up her scent.' Angel thought to herself.

"Yes, and since you're here too we can be a family again." he said as he tried to touch her cheek.

"No." Angel said with a jerk of her head. "You...you both threw me away when you found out I had a soul."

"No Angelus, that was your mother. She...she was just scared. When I found out that she kicked you out I searched for you for a long time." Donovan smoothly lied. "Ach damnit." he said taking a look at his watch. "I have to bring a sacrifice to The Master, but Angelus... think about my offer." he said as he strode out of her apartment.

"Ow." Whistler said as he comes too, immediately snapping Angel out of her musings.

"Whistler, are you okay?" she asked as she helped him to his feet.

"Just peachy." he replied with a wince. "What the hell hit me?"

"My daddy." Angel replied after a few moments.

"Dono...Donovan is here?" Whistler asked. 'Oh goody things just keep getting better.' he thought to himself. "Well have a nice life kid." Whistler said as he turned to go out of the door. "I'll see ya around."

"Oh no." Angel said as she grabbed him on the shoulder. "You're going with me."

"Where?"

"We're going to stop my daddy and the ritual sacrifice's for the Harvest." Angel explained.

"But I'm a balance demon I'm not supposed to..." at Angel's look he changed what he was going to say. "Alright, I'll help you, but just this once. But I got to know something kid, why do you still call that monster your father?"

"Because..." Angel said as she turned her back to him. "No matter how much of a monster he is, he still taught me everything I know. If it wasn't for that I never would have survived this long. Now isn't that what a father does for his daughter?" she asked as she turned to look at him.

"Yeah...yeah I guess so."

"I'm glad you see it my way." Angel said as she threw him a crossbow. "Now let's move!"

* * *

Luke tries to bite Buffy, but burns himself on the cross hanging around her neck and jerks back. Buffy seizes the opportunity and push kicks him out of the coffin. She climbs out of it and races outside. She hears a vampire roar and a girl screaming and runs toward the sounds. She then see's Willow on the ground, about to be bitten.

"No!" Willow screams. "Get off!"

"Hey!" Buffy shouts out.

The vampire looks up, and Buffy snap kicks him off of Willow. He gets up and runs away. Willow is shocked by what she sees. Buffy quickly starts the hunt again. Willow gets up and runs after her. Up ahead of them Xander being dragged away by two vampires. Willow appears between two gravestones.

"Xander!" Willow cries out alarmed.

The vampires are distracted. Buffy takes advantage of the opening and jumps in, high punches one and side kicks the other. She notices a dry branch on a tree and breaks it off. As one of the vampires gets up she plunges the stick into him. Willow rushes over to Xander who's still on the ground.

"Xander, are you okay?" Willow asks.

"Man, something hit me." Xander replied rubbing at his head.

"Where's Jesse?" Buffy asks looking around.

"I don't know!" Willow said alarmed. "They surrounded us."

"That girl grabbed him and took off." Xander said referring to Darla.

"Which way?" Buffy asks.

"I don't know."

With that she stands up straight and slowly scans the cemetery. "Jesse!" she whispers out.

TBC...

Please review...


	8. Chapter 8 The Harvest pt1

Chapter 8

The Harvest pt. 1

A belt buckle snaps together. A leather duster falls into place. In the darkness a figure is loading a bag full of weapons. Behind the figure Whistler is loading up a crossbow with stakes. A gloved hand reaches for ninja sai's. Twirling them in her hands Angel takes off into the night.

* * *

Darla and Luke are forcing Jesse into the Master's lair.

"Move!" Luke shouts out as he pushes Jesse forward.

They reach the lair, which is actually what remains of a church, and Luke forces Jesse down the slope to the floor below. The Master approaches.

"Is this for me?" the Master asks as he looks at the geeky looking boy.

"An offering, Master." Luke confirms.

"He's a good one!" Darla pipes in. "His blood is pure!"

"You've tasted it?" The Master asks as he draws the obvious conclusion. Darla looks down in shame. "I'm your... faithful dog. You bring me scraps."

"I, I didn't mean it..."

"I have waited." The Master started, cutting her off. "For three score years I have waited. While you come and go I am stuck here, here in this house of..." he stops and surveys the area with extreme contempt. "worship! My ascension is almost at hand. Pray that when it comes..." he stops as he takes Darla by the neck. "I'm in a better mood."

"Master, forgive me!" Darla cries. "We had more offerings, but there was trouble. A girl!"

"And there was a girl." Luke confirmed. "She fought well and she knew of our breed. It is possible that she may be..."

" ...a Slayer!" the age old vampire finished for him. "A Slayer! Have you any proof?"

"Only that she fought me, and yet lives."

"Hmm, very nearly proof enough." Master said as he rubbed at his chin in thought. "I can't remember the last time that happened."

"1843. Madrid. He caught me sleeping." Luke replied with a shrug.

"She mustn't be allowed to interfere with the Harvest!" The Master said as he sat down on his throne.

"I would never let that happen." Donovan said as he entered the room, throwing the teenage girl he had found at the Master's feet.

"Ah...Donovan. How nice of you to join us." The Master said as he smiled at him.

"Jesse?" the girl asked as she opened her eye's and looked over at the person beside her.

"Cordelia." Jesse said as he managed to open his eyes.

"I hate it when my food talks." The Master said as he stood to his feet and regarded the two. "So be quiet!" he shouted loud enough for his voice to echo throughout the caves.

"What's up with him?" Donovan whispered to Darla.

"What's up with me..." the Master said as he looked up at Donovan. "...is that a Slayer is trying to interfere with the harvest."

"Don't worry about it. I believe she'll come to us." Donovan said as he grabbed Cordelia by the neck. "We have something she wants."

The Master smiles down at the two teens. "If she is a Slayer, and these two live, she'll try to save them." The Master stated the obvious.

"I thought you nothing more than a meal, boy." Luke says as he moves behind Jesse and takes his neck. "Congratulations. You've just been upgraded. To bait."

"I don't think so." a woman's voice said as it echoed in the Master's cave. As Luke looked up and started to turn around he felt something enter into his back. Completing his turn he crumbled into dust as he looked at the person behind him.

"Hi Grandpa." Angel said as she strolled into the room with a short man carrying a crossbow. Tapping into her limited magical abilities she made her ninja sai's, that she had thrown at Luke, levitate into her hands. It was made out of a blessed silver alloy melted down from a holy relic. "Are you happy to see me?"

"My Angel." the Master said in surprise as he saw her.

Flashback

1760, London

Donovan and Darla are standing in front of the Master seated on a big carved chair.

"His name would already be legend in his home village... had he left anyone alive there to tell the tale." Darla explains to her Sire.

"Ah, you had a nice trip." The Master replied as he caressed Darla's hand. "I'm so glad."

"On the way back we cut a bloody swath through South Wales and northern England." Darla informed him as she looked back at Donovan. "He was magnificent."

"Hmm, Yorkshire men, tough as leather." Donovan jokes. The Master and he both laugh at that remark. "So, Darla here tells me you're some sort of Master."

"The Master." Darla corrects him. "He commands our order."

"The order of Aurelius. We are the select - the elite." The Master told him. Donvan folds his arms and surveys their surroundings.

"And who is this rare flower?" The Master asks as he see's Angelus hiding behind Donovan.

"Oh this is Angelus." Darla says as she runs over and grabs her arm.

"Angelus, the latinate for Angel." he said as he laughs. "It's marvelous." he says as he holds his hand out for Angelus to take. She looks over at Darla who nods and then she takes The Master's hand in her's.

"Mom if he's your Sire then does that make him my Grandfather?" Angelus asks as she sits on the Master's lap.

"Mom?" The Master asked as he looked over at Darla.

"She's still young." Darla hurried her explaination. "When I explained to her about the Sire, Childe relationship, she started calling me her mother."

"Ahhh, I see." The Master said as he looked from her to Angelus. "Then yes my sweet, that would make me your grandfather."

"So you're a master vampire who lives in the sewers?" Donovan suddenly asks.The Master gives Angelus' hand a pat and they both stand up.

"We live below, giving tribute to the old ones. Awaiting that promised day when we will arise -Arise! - and lay waste to the world above us." The Master says as he starts to laugh.

"Why'd you want to do that?" Donovan asks.

"Huh?"

"Well, I mean, have you been above lately? It's quite nice. Me, I could never live in a rat infested stink hole - like this, if you'll pardon me for saying so. I got to have meself a proper bed or I'm a terror. Isn't that right love?" he says as he looks at Darla.

"He's young." Darla tries to explain to the Master.

"And this one, down in the goose feathers, and the finest silks and linens and a view..." Donovan said as he comes around to Darla. "she's always got to have the view." He then leans in close to her. "Don't you, my lamb?."

"We fed very recently. The blood is still hot in his veins." she explained to her Sire.

"You noticed that, did you?" Donovan whispers into Darla's ear.

"We stalk the surface to feed and grow our ranks. We do not live amongst the human pestilence!"

"I'll be honest, you really couldn't with that face, now could you?" Donovan asks.

"Donovan!" Darla screams as she slaps him on the face. Donovan laughs and drops into the Masters chair, left leg dangling over one of the armrests and takes a bit of snuff.

"It's not stuck like that now is it?" The Master leans in on him with a growl.

"The Master has grown past the curse of human features." Darla tells him, just as Angelus walks up behind her.

"I'm not gonna get a bat-nose like that, huh? Am I?" Donovan asks.

"Very few vampires are cunning enough to have lived as long as I have, which you've now..." The Master grabs Donovan by the front of his coat and throws him across the room. "...demonstrated."

Darla flinches as Donovan slides down the wall. Laughing, he gets back up, and keeps talking to Darla as if the Master wasn't even there.

"Naples, you, Angelus, and me Darla. What do you say?" The Master hits him with a hard right throwing him back against the wall.

"Donovan..." Darla says worriedly to her lover. He just pushes himself off the wall and goes on as if nothing had happened.

"This is no place for you - bound to the likes of him."

"You should show." Master hits Donovan over the head, dropping him to the ground. "...the proper respect." Donovan, now on all fours and breathing hard, still ignores the Master and talks only to Darla.

"You belong by my side - out in the world - feeding as we like - taking what we need. I'll give you that view you crave, darling. I'll give you everything." The Master knocks Donovan over onto his back. Donovan coughs than laughs again. Lifts his head to look at Darla.

"Tell the truth - whose face do you want to look at for eternity?" He asks as he rolls over on his side. "His - or mine?"

Master smiles down at Donovan: "You idiot. I made her."

Darla smiles at Donovan and he smiles back at her. The Master's smile fades and he turns to look at Darla.

"You're leaving with the stallion, aren't you?"

Darla doesn't answer as she walks over to Donovan and helps him up. Donovan puts an arm around her shoulders and pulls her close and the two of them turn to leave. One of the Master's minions growls and blocks their path.

"No. Let them go." Master says with his back to them. The minion lets them pass.

"Come on Angelus!" Darla yells over her shoulder.

"Sorry grandpa." Angelus says as she kisses him on the cheek. "Maybe we'll meet again." she says as she runs off to join her parents.

"Yes my dear." The Master said as he again smiled. "Of that I am sure."

End Flashback

"Angelus how long has it been?" The Master asks as he again sits at his throne.

"Too long." Angel said as she and Whistler came fully into the room. One of the Master's minions tries to attack her but The Master waves him off.

"Angelus, what are you doing here?" Darla asks her daughter. She thought she had gone crazy when she had picked up her scent earlier today.

"Well mom, I came to stop you from feeding and to keep grandpa from escaping."

"Grandpa." Cordelia whispers to herself.

"Now why would you want to do a thing like that, Angelus?" The Master asked."We're a family."

"Oh didn't mom tell you?" Angelus asked as she looked over at Darla. "I was cursed with a soul and mom left me. I was alone for so long."

"Kid, I hate to spoil the family reunion," Whistler whispers into her ear. "...but we got to get out of here." he says as four more vampires emerge out of the darkness.

"Alright, If you guys can hear me then walk over this way." Angel says to Cordelia and Jesse. Not having to be told twice, Cordelia immediately get's to her feet.

"Do you actually think that we're going to let them go?" Darla asked as she got in front of Angel's field of vision.

"Oh let them go." The Master told them.

"But Master..." Darla started as she turned around to look at him.

"I said let them Go!" he growled out. As Cordelia collected herself, she helped Jesse to his feet and walked him over to Whistler. Like a shot they started to take off.

"It was nice seeing you again grandpa." Angel said as she holstered her sai's and turned to leave. "Oh and my name's not Angelus anymore, it's Angel." with that she ran out of the cave.

"Master why did you let them leave?" Darla asked her sire.

"Not that I have to explain anything to you." he sneered. "But a new plan must be formed. Especially since my vessel is now dead." he said as he cast a look to Luke's ashes.

"I'll become your vessel." Darla volunteered.

"Damnit, Darla!" Donovan growled as he grabbed her arm. This was so not apart of his plan.

"Your offer is exceptable." The Master said with a smile, taking pleasure in the discord he see's from the couple, because of Darla's decision. "Now leave me, I have much to plan."

* * *

"Hurry Whistler, open the door." Angel says as they emerge out of the tunnels and run outside. Giving Jesse to her to support, he opens the door to Angel's classic 1967 plymouth convertible.

"Hey you're pretty." Jesse says woozily as he opens his eyes and see's Angel.

"Thanks." Angel replied with a roll of her eye's. The guy almost became vamp food and he still finds time to flirt. "Now get in. I'm going to take you to the hospital and then I'm going to take you home." she said as she helped him into the front seat.

"Who are you?" Cordelia asked getting a strange vibe from the girl.

"My name is Angel, that's all you need to know right now." Angel replied as she got into the drivers seat, only to notice that Whistler was still standing outside. "Whistler come on."

"I'm not going with you, kid." Whistler said as he smiled at her. "Now go on ahead and get these kids some help, I'll see you around." Angel just looked at him hard and long. With a nod of her head, she drove off.

"You did a better job then your old man, did when he had his chance." Whistler says into the wind. "Let's just see what you do when your biggest challenge comes." with that Whistler faded away into the darkness.

TBC...

Please review...

I also have a picture of how Angelus looks. If anyone wants it, just leave your email address in a review or just email me.


	9. Chapter 9 The Harvest pt 2

A/N Thanks for the reviews BAKAMAN, cursedgirl, Moonandsun, and bee 3. Sorry for taking so long putting up the newest chapter. But hey, I'm on vacation from my job so I'm gonna try to update all of my old fics before I have to go back. Anyway enjoy and bee 3, I did send you that picture of Angelus didn't I?

Chapter 9

The Harvest pt. 2

The next day

Early Morning

Angel awoke with beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. Pushing a strand of her long black hair back she bit down the urge to scream, because of her latest nightmare. She was fighting her father in a dark cave and she had slain him. Before she did so, she heard his voice in her head.

'Wierd.' she thought to herself as she got out of bed. As she was going through her refrigerator, intent on drinking a glass of blood, out of the corner of her eye she saw a glimpse of a piece of paper on her coffee table. Turning she saw a old tome with a note attached to it.

Picking up the paper she saw that it was a note from Whistler. A note that read that the book was some information on the Harvest. Thumbing through it, her eyes widened as she translated that the date of the Harvest was...

"Tonight." she said to herself as she closed the book and stood to her feet. Gathering together some clothes, she rushed to her weapons room, for tonight she had much work to do.

Sunnydale Library

The Sametime

Buffy, Giles, Xander, and Willow all huddled together in the library as the young computer hacker pulled up the city plans on the computer.

"There it is." Buffy said aloud as she looked at the map tunnels.

"That runs under the graveyard." Willow expanded.

"I don't see any access." Xander told them as he took a better look at the series of maps.

"So, all the city plans are just, uh, open to the public?" Giles nervously asked.

"Um, well, i-in a way." Willow fumbled. "I sort of stumbled onto them when I accidentally decrypted the city council's security system."

"Someone's been naughty." Xander joked.

"There's nothing here, this is useless!" Buffy yelled as she threw her hands up in frustration.

"I think you're being a bit hard on yourself." Giles said concerned.

"You're the one that told me that I wasn't prepared enough." Buffy replied as she turned to look at him. "Understatement! I thought I was on top of everything, and then that monster, Luke, came out of nowhere..."

"What?" Xander asks as he see's a far away look in her eye's.

"He didn't come out of nowhere. He came from behind me. I was facing the entrance, he came from behind me, and he didn't follow me out. The access to the tunnels is in the mausoleum!" Buffy yelled figuring it out. "The girl must have doubled back with Jesse after I got out! God! I am so mentally challenged!"

"So, what's the plan?" Xander asked as he stood to his feet. "We saddle up, right?"

"There's no 'we', okay? I'm the Slayer, and you're not."

" I knew you'd throw that back in my face."

" Xander, this is deeply dangerous."

"I'm inadequate. That's fine. I'm less than a man." Xander said with a pout.

"Buffy, I'm not anxious to go into a dark place full of monsters. But I do want to help. I need to." Willow said hoping that her friend wasn't already dead.

"Well, then help me." Giles told her. "I've been researching this Harvest affair. It seems to be some sort of preordained massacre. Rivers of blood, Hell on Earth, quite charmless. I'm a bit fuzzy, however, on the details. It may be that you can wrest some information from that dread machine." he said causing everyone to stare at him. He looks back at them all.

"That was a bit, um, British, wasn't it?" he asked.

"Welcome to the new world." Buffy replied with a smile as she patted him on the back.

"I want you to go on the 'Net." Giles said as he looked at Willow.

"Oh, sure, I can do that." Willow said as she began to type.

"Then I'm outta here. If Jesse's alive, I'll bring him back." Buffy said as she started to leave. As she opened the door she saw... "Jesse?" she asked in disbelief as she pulled him into a hug. "I thought you were..."

"Were what?" Jesse asked, enjoying their hug. Perhaps he was enjoying the hug to much, because Buffy abruptly pushed away from him.

"Nothing just...come in here." she said as she took him by the arm and led him into the library.

"Jesse!" Willow yelled as she ran up to him.

"Man where did you, how did you..."

"Wait slow down. What are you guys talking about?" Jesse asked.

"What do you mean, what are we talking about?" Willow asked. "You were kidnapped by vampires."

"Vampires?" he asked, as last nights events finally came back to him and he touched his bandaged neck. "I...I thought all of that was just a dream."

"How did you get away?" Xander asked.

"I don't... wait I... there was this girl."

"What girl?" Buffy asked.

"I remember now. Me and Cordelia were down in this cave and this black girl saved us."

"Did she have long black hair and was wearing all leather?" Xander asked him.

"Yeah...yeah how did you know?"

"How did you know that Xander?" Buffy asked as she looked up at him.

"Because she's the same girl that gave me that cross, to give to you."

"Is there anything else you can tell us, Mr. McNally?" Giles asked as he walked up to him.

"Who are you again?" Jesse asked confused.

"Oh um, I'm Mr. Giles." Giles said as he took off his glasses. "The new school librarian."

"Oh." Jesse said still confused.

"We'll explain later." Xander said putting his hand on his shoulder. "Now spill."

"I...I can't remember everything but I think she said her name was Angel."

"And?" Giles asked, feeling that he should know that name from somewhere.

"The only other name I can think of is somebody called... Donchin, Donobane..."

"Was it Donovan?" Giles interrupted.

"Yeah...yeah that was it."

"Good lord." Giles groaned as he took off his glasses and started to polish them.

"What is it?" Buffy asked, her now pale faced Watcher.

"Donovan...he's...he's one of the most dangerous vampires of all time. And if he's in alligence with the Master then we're all in trouble."

"What about Angel?" Xander asked. "There has to be some kind of backstory on her. I mean how could she just walk in there and get Jesse out without getting killed?"

"Maybe she's a Slayer too?" Willow suggested.

"She's most certainly not a Slayer." Giles informed her. "There can be only one at a time. However I must admit that her name sounds familiar. I must go to my books and do some research on her."

"And while you're doing the whole book thing, I'm going to go down into the tunnels and do a little recon." Buffy said as she headed for the door.

"Most certainly not." Giles said walking up beside her and putting his hands on her slender shoulders. "With the aide of Donovan and who knows how many other vampires, the Master is virtually unstoppable right now. You must promise me that you won't do anything foolish."

"I promise." Buffy lied as she crossed her fingers behind her back.

"Good." Giles said as the school bell started to ring. "Now all of you go to class. We'll talk more about this after school."

* * *

"I can't believe that you're a super hero." Jesse said over to Buffy as they walked through the cemetery. As soon as Giles' meeting after school, Buffy had pulled him to the side and convinced him to show her through the tunnels.

"Me either." Buffy replied back to him sadly, as she handed him a stake. "Now stay here, I'm gonna check this out first."

As she said that, she walked into the mausoleum slowly, looking and listening. She then scanned around and satisfied that no one was there, she walked down the steps to the floor.

"Hey Jesse come on." she whispered.

Feeling him behind her, they suddenly heard a rat behind them. Startled they twisted to look toward the sound, only relaxing when they saw the furry rodent running into the sunlight. Shaking her head in frustration she continued through it and found the tunnel access. It was locked with a chain and as she lifted the lock Jesse called out to her.

"Buffy wait."

"What is it?" she asked as she turned around to see him holding up an old book.

"I don't know but I think we should let that librarian know about this."

"His name is Giles."

"Yeah, whatever." Jesse said dismissively. There was just something about the older man that unnerved him. "So are you coming?"

"Yeah." Buffy said looking back at the access door, debating on what to do. "I'm right behind you." as they walked out of the room, Angel stepped out of the shadows and stared after them.

"I hope she figures it out in time." she said to herself. Because if they didn't her grandfather could rise tonight.

* * *

"So this book was just laying outside?" Giles asked as Buffy handed him the book on the Harvest. He knew that she was lying to him and that she had really gone to the cemetery but he would just have to deal with that later.

"Yeah, can you get a translation from it?" Buffy asked.

"It seems that I don't have too." Giles replied as he flipped through the old tome and found a folded sheet of paper. "It's already been translated and my word..."

"What is it?" Buffy asked, even as the whole group thought the same thing.

"It says that the Harvest is tonight and that the Vessel will be at a place of a large gathering, to free the Master." Giles said as he handed Willow the book and instructed her to look up a few things on the computer.

"The Vessel?" Buffy asked as she sat down on the desk. "That sounds important."

"Not as important as where he'll be tonight." Xander cut in. "I think I know..."

"Alexander please." Giles cut him off abruptly. "I rather hate being interrupted and..."

"But..."

"Xander, we're talking about something important here." Buffy said, glancing over at him. "So whatever you have to say, just hold it until Giles is finished."

'God, they won't even listen to me.' Xander thought to himself. As the gang started back talking, completely ignoring him, he silently slipped out of the double doors.

"This Harvest affair comes once in a century, on this night and The Master can draw power from one of his minions while it feeds. Enough power to break free and open a portal to hell. The minion is called the Vessel, and he bears this symbol." Giles said as he drew a three-pointed star on the whiteboard.

"So, I dust anyone sporting that symbol, and no Harvest?" Buffy asked.

"Simply put, yes."

"Any idea where this little get-together is being held?"

"There, there are a number of possibilities."

"Well, we better find out before this Vessel guy get's a chance to chow down." Buffy said as she stood up from the table. "Now Xander what did you...Xander?" she asked as she looked around the room, only to see that he was already gone.

"We don't have time to worry about him now." Giles voiced at her side. "Now where would the Vessel and it's other minions be?"

"I think I might know." Willow answered as she looked up from the computer. "It has to be at the mall. It's the only place I can think of that'll have alotta people in it right now."

"That sounds about right." Buffy said, going to a bag full of weapons Giles had brought. "Let's saddle up."

The Bronze

Angel stood in a dark corner of the club, silently awaiting Buffy's arrival. She would've told her where the Harvest was going to take place, but she didn't want to interfere with the natural progression of her detection skills.

As Angel looked around a bit, at all the smiling faces and the people around her, she idly flashed back to the dream she had, earlier that morning. Why she had a vision about her father's voice in her head, she would never know.

"So is this what you do in your spare time, Angel?" a voice asked, snapping her out of her reverie. "You stand around in the shadows and watch other people have fun?"

"Maybe." Angel replied as she turned around and smiled at Xander. "And how did you figure out my name?"

"Because you saved a friend of mine." Xander replied as he emphasized the word friend. Angel took note of the stress in his voice and reminded herself to talk to him about that later. "And, I wanted to say thanks for that."

"Believe me, it wasn't a problem." she replied as she turned from him and looked around the club again.

"You look like you're looking for trouble?" Xander asked, as he leaned against the wall, next to her, and looked around the club himself.

"That's because I am. Didn't Buffy tell you about..."

"The Harvest." Xander said grimly. "Yeah, I know. I tried to tell my friends...do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Questions like what?" Angel asked as she took her eyes off of the doors and looked back at him.

"Questions like what are you?" seeing her look he clarified what he was talking about quickly. "I mean are you a Slayer or something? Jesse told me that..."

"I'm not a Slayer." 'I'm more like the opposite of one.' she thought to herself. "Let's just say that I was...granted special powers."

"Okay." Xander replied, even though he didn't fully believe her story. "The second thing is... I...I want you to train me."

"What?" she asked as she kicked off the wall and started to walk away from him.

"Angel...Angel please." he said as he walked over and grabbed her arm. "How can I go on like this knowing about what really goes bump in the night and not do anything about it?"

Before she could answer, the door to the club opened, and in walked several vampires. As they fanned out into the crowd, the people backed away in fright. With a smile Donovan came in last, grabbed an unlucky boy and threw him into a table.

Quickly, one of the vampires made his way to the upper level, just as another one found the main power switch and shut it off. The people start complaining and wondering what happened and screamed when Darla appeared on stage in her game face.

"Don't be afraid boys and girls." Darla said as she scanned the crowd, with a toothy grin. "On second thought, do be afraid because all of you are gonna die. Bring me the first."

"Here." Angel said as she reached into her overcoat and handed him a stake. "You get the exit cleared and the people out. That's all!"

"What are you gonna do?" he asked as she took out two ninja sai's.

"I'm gonna handle this." she said as she turned to look at her mother on stage with the Vessel's symbol on her forehead, draining the bouncer of the club. "Now get going."

As Xander ran off, Angel rushed forward, only for her father to step in her path.

"And where are you going lamb?" Donovan asked, as he put a hand on his chin and looked down at his daughter. "Are you about to play the hero?"

"Something like that." she answered as she peered around him and saw that Darla was about to bite into another teen.

"Angelus..."

"The names Angel." with that said she kicked, Donovan in the crotch and as he bent down, hit him on the back of the head. Seeing him laying on the ground unconcious, she growled low in her throat as she attacked some of his minions.

A vampire attacked from her right and without looking she spun the sai's in her hand and jabbed him through the chest with them. With a high leap she jumped up and thrusted them into another attacker, making them both fall to the ground.. Taking them out of him, she smiled as he began to burn and burst into ashes.

Seeing Darla drop the drained body of the boy she was holding, Angel ran and cartwheeled up onto the stage, and immediately launched into a full spinning hook kick, making Darla stagger into a pile of chairs.

"Angelus?" Darla asked in disbelief as she rubbed her jaw and looked up at her daughter.

"Hello, mom." she replied curtly as she twirled her weapons, before sheathing them back in.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Stopping you."

"We'll see about that." Darla growled as she stood to her feet.

She came at her and swung a punch, but Angel ducked and came up behind her. Darla tried a backhand punch, but Angel blocked her, held onto her arm and gave her three roundhouse kicks to the stomach before shaking loose. Turning quickly, she knee'd Angel in the stomach and knocked her off of her feet.

"I didn't want to do this Angelus, but I'll have to kill you." Darla said a bit sadly. "Goodbye."

As she said that she did a lunging jump into the air to pounce on her daughter, just as Angel brought out her sai's. Not being able to alter the jump, Darla fell on the bladed weapon's, a sick wet sound filling the air as they bit into her flesh and pierced her heart. Trembling, she dropped out of her vampiric visage and looked down at her daughter with a smile on her face.

Looking back up at her, Angel thought her mother looked like the vision of a true Angel. She looked like the same beautiful woman she had first met in Ireland many years ago. With a tear in her eye, she pushed the blessed sai's deeper and watched as the person she'd known for over two hundred years, burst into dust.

"Goodbye."

* * *

"Angelus...no!" Donovan roared as he finally stood to his feet and saw what happened. Before he could go on stage and confront Angel, the front door to the club nearly exploded off of it's hinges. Looking back, he growled at who he saw. "Slayer." counting his losses, he dissappeared through the side door along with all of the other fleeing teens.

* * *

As soon as Buffy broke down the entrance door to the Bronze, Giles brought up a cross as a vampire tried to run past them. Taking out her stake, she quickly dusted him as the rest of the gang strolled into the room.

The place was utter chaos, with teens running around for their lives and vampires running amuck. Ducking an attack from another vamp, she quickly stood up and dispatched him as well.

"Buffy that's her." Jesse said as he came up behind her and pointed into the crowd.

Following his line of vision, Buffy saw a pretty black girl, with long raven hair and a leather jacket, killing a vampire with ninja sai's. Buffy couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something different about the girl.

Knowing that she felt a pair of eyes on her, looked up and stared back at her. As a group of people ran in between her view of her, Buffy looked around them and saw that the girl was gone.

* * *

Seeing that Buffy was looking at her, Angel waited until a group of kids walked past her, before using her vampiric speed to run away. She didn't want Buffy to know what she was...atleast for now. As she ran towards the exit, she saw Xander leading a some people out.

"Xander, come on!" she yelled as she ran past him.

"But what about the rest of the people?" he asked as he ran up behind her.

"Buffy's here, she can handle it from here." she said, as she jumped into her plymouth. "Now get in and I'll take you home."

The Master's Cave

Later That Night

"Damnit!" Donovan growled, as he threw a golden chalise of blood towards the Master. Not even flinching, the age old vampire watched as it slammed up against the invicible barrier and clattered to the ground.

"Believe, me I know how you feel." the Master said to his grande childe. "She was my favorite."

"My own damn daughter did this to me. She took...she took Darla away."

"Which is why, I've called someone to take care of her, boy." the Master replied as he stood to his feet and paced around. "If Angelus, won't come over to our side willingly then I'll just have to make her."

"What do you have planned?" Donovan asked, causing the Master to smile.

"Just wait and see."

* * *

"Hey this is my stop." Xander said over to Angel, as she pulled up to his house. "Thanks for the ride."

"Yeah, and I'll pick you up tomorrow."

"What? Why?" Xander asked as he got out.

"Because, I've been thinking about what you said and...I'm gonna train you. I'll pick you up tomorrow afternoon when the sun goes down."

"That's gonna be...Ahhh man." Xander said, resisting the urge to do the snoopy dance. "You're welcome over my house anytime...but could you just make sure you don't tell my friends about this?"

As she shook her head, without saying anything more, Xander turned and went inside of his house. As he opened the door to his room, he was taken off of his feet by a powerful punch.

"Do you have...any idea what time it is boy?" Anthony Harris, slurred out as he looked down at his son. "Me and your mom were worried sick about you."

"Is...is that why you're beating me?" Xander asked, touching his bleeding lip.

"Why you little..."

As he reached down and punched him again, for smarting off, Angel suddenly appeared in the open window and grabbed Anthony by the shirt. She had heard Xander's gasp before she drove away and had came to investigate. With a guttural growl, she threw him off of the roof to the lawn below. Looking back and seeing that Xander was unconcious, she leaped down after him and stood over him menacingly.

"How could you hit him like that?" Angel asked, as her and Anthony slowly paced around each other. "He's your son."

"And he's my responsibility you little bitch." Anthony replied, as he put up his fists, ready for a fight. "I do what, I damn well please to my boy."

"Not for long." Angel replied as she ran forward.

Taking the advantage, Anthony brought his leg up and knee'd her in the stomach. Taking the blow in stride she flipped him over backward onto the grass again. Before he could get up she bent down, now in her vampiric visage, grabbed his hair and lifted his head up.

"From now on Xander is my responsibility. You understand?" she asked, as all he could do was shiver in fear and wet his pants. "I'll be back for his things later tonight."

Seeing that he got the point, she let him go, before jumping back up to the roof. Going through Xander's window she picked his unconcious form off of the floor and sighed. Just what the hell was she getting herself into.

A/N This fic isn't going to revolve around Buffy and her group, but rather Angel and Xander for awhile. Also this season is going to play out drastically different.


	10. Chapter 10 Turnabout

Chapter 10

Turnabout

"Dad no!" Xander yelled out groggily as he finally came too. As his eyes came into focus he quickly saw that he wasn't in his room, even if half of his stuff was here. _Where the hell is here? _he asked himself as an aroma of food swept through the room. _Now I know I'm not at home. _he thought glancing at the digital clock on his nightstand. _My mom would never try to cook this early._

Getting fully out of bed, he changed into some clean clothes that were neatly folded beside the bed, before he opened the door and peeped outside. Seeing that the coast was clear, he walked down the dark hallway and into the kitchen area where Angel was busy cooking away.

"How do you like your eggs, Xander?" she asked as she flipped some pancakes over.

"Ummmm... scrambled." he replied, shocked that she knew that he was standing there, since she had her back to him.

"Well have a seat. Breakfast will be done in a second."

Nearly as soon as he sat down at the table she brought over a plate of delicious looking food. Picking up a fork he started to dig in, and as he did so he noticed two things. One all of the curtains were closed, not allowing any sunshine in and two Angel's skin looked a little pale. _Nahhh...she can't be a vampire. _he thought to himself as he continued eating.

"You're not eating?" he asked as he looked up and saw her drinking, what he assumed was coffee.

"No, I've already eaten." she said glancing towards the sink. _Now, I've gotta find another place to store my blood. _"Listen, I know you have a lot of questions..."

"Well, I know that this is your place." he said stuffing the last of the pancakes into his mouth. "The only thing I don't get is how did I get here?"

"Let's just say that me and your...father had a little argument about how you should be raised." she started, making him stiffen up a bit. "But he agreed with me that until you turn eighteen, I'll be your legal guardian."

"How are you gonna do that?" he asked, changing the subject. He never liked talking about his father's physical abuse. "I mean, you can't be much older then me." he said making her smile from ear to ear.

"Believe me, I'm old enough." she said grabbing his plate and putting it in the sink. "I have some contacts I have to get into contact with, but by the end of the week it'll be approved. When you get home we'll start your training. Now get to school before you're late."

"Yes ma'am." Xander replied theatrically as he scooped up his backpack and headed for the door. Holding the knob for a second, he turned to her and mouthed the word 'thank you.' before walking out of the door.

Sunnydale High

Fifteen Minutes Later

Xander walked down the bustling corridors of Sunnydale high, whistling tunelessly to himself. For the first time in his life things seemed to be looking up for him. He didn't have to go home and worry about getting beaten anymore, he was going to get trained on how to fight, and most importantly he was gonna get to live with a beautiful woman.

"Can life get any better?" he mumbled as he bumped into somebody. "Man I spoke to soon."

"Watch where you're going dweeb." Cordelia spoke loudly, getting the attention of a few others around her, before wiping off her shirt, Larry snickering at her side. "I don't want to get loser all over me."

"Nice one, Cor." Xander said unphased and with a smile.

"What the hell are you so happy about?"

"I have a date with a beautiful woman tonight."

"A beautiful woman?" Larry asked skeptically as he walked up and put an arm around Cordelia. "You?"

"Yeah me. And I see I'm the only one that can get someone beautiful around here." he said pointingly looking at Cordelia.

"You stupid little..." Larry mumbled as he jerked him up by the scruff of his shirt.

"Is everything alright boys?" Principal Flutie asked as he walked towards them. "You boys aren't fighting are you?"

"No, sir. Me and Larry were just messing around." Xander replied as he forcibly removed Larry's hand. "Isn't that right, Larry?"

"Yeah." he started, barely being able to contain himself. "But me and you are going to finish...our little chat." he said as he and Cordelia walked away.

"Now that, that's settled go to class." Flutie said as he looked at another group of kids, before walking to them.

Putting the smile back on his face he walked into the library and overheard Buffy and the new school librarian Giles sitting at a table and arguing. Not wanting to disturb them, even though Willow and Jesse were in the room, he snuck into the room and listened in on what they had to say.

"Buffy, I'm aware of your concerns but be reasonable." Giles was saying. "From what we've heard from witnesses th..that girl is a hero."

"Then why did she give me the wiggins?" he suddenly heard Buffy say.

"Buffy, Giles is right." Jesse said standing to his feet. "If it wasn't for her then I wouldn't be standing here right now."

"That just proves my point." Buffy replied, standing herself. "How could she just walk down there where that Master guy is and get you without any trouble? She has to be evil."

"You're just jealous." Xander said in outrage as he approached them.

"What did you say?" Buffy asked startled.

"I said that you're jealous. Jealous that Angel did something that you couldn't." he replied, his crush on the new girl quickly fading away. After what Angel did for him, he couldn't stand by and let anyone badmouth her. "If it wasn't for her then Jesse would be dead right now and the Bronze would be just a big snack tray for vampires."

"Alexander you are out of..."

"Line...?" Xander finished for him, before looking at Buffy. "Hardly."

"Perhaps you should go to class and cool off." Giles suggested. "This isn't your affair anyway. This is only a matter for me and my Slayer to deal with."

"Whatever you say, G-man." Xander replied bitterly as he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room.

"The nerve of him." Buffy whispered, outwordly fuming from the exchange.

"I've never seen him like that before." Willow said more then a little stunned herself. She had known Xander her entire life and he had never shouted at anyone.

"What's his problem anyway?"

"I don't know." Jesse said turning to the Slayer. "But I'm gonna find out."

* * *

The day quickly passed as Xander headed in the direction of his new home. He had truly had a big crush on Buffy, but with each step he took the thought of it diminished. Who was she to be so self righteous and judgmental towards someone she didn't know. He cursed himself for not seeing it before, that Buffy was nothing more then a version of Cordelia with super powers. With all the things that were going on and about to happen, one would think that she would appreciate the help.

And her Watcher didn't seem to be much better, with instantly taking up for her. It seemed that the only one from the group who was going to take up for her was himself and Jesse. Shaking the sad little display out of his head, he knocked on the door to Angel's apartment, only for the door to swing open eerily.

"Hello." he called out, looking into the dark apartment, before walking in. "Angel?"

Catching a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, he was suddenly tripped off of his feet, landing hard on his back. Feeling some weight on his stomach, he heard someone clap their hands making the lights turn on. As his eyes adjusted, he saw that it was Angel sitting on top of his chest.

"Is this the way, I'm going to be greeted when I come home?" Xander asked with a wide smile. "If so, I like it."

"It was part of your training." Angel told him, with a roll of her eyes as she stood to her feet. _Men are all alike... no matter the century._ "Now tell me what your instincts told you when you opened that door?"

"It told me to find a light switch." he went on, only for her to frown at him. "They told me to make sure that you were alright."

"They should have told you to run."

"I'm not gonna leave you, no matter what happens." he replied suddenly adament. "You're worth facing danger for to me." he whispered the last part out, not knowing that with her vampiric hearing that she heard him.

"So what happened at school, today?" she asked, changing the subject. "Did you talk to, Buffy?"

"If talking is what you want to call it." he replied as he shrugged his backpack off and dropped it to the floor. "But it was more like yelling."

"What were you..."

"She was badmouthing you alright." Xander cut her off. "I wasn't going to sit there and let her call you evil. Not after what you've done for me."

_Damnit._ Angel thought to herself. _She didn't pick up what I am did she?_

"Buffy's just jealous of you anyway. She..."

"You don't have to explain, I understand." Angel said a bit relieved. "Even though you made my job of watching after Buffy a little harder, I'm not mad. I am a little annoyed that you let someone follow you though." she said as she moved towards the door, opened it, and watched as Jesse fell face first at her feet.

"Ummm... hi." he said, looking up at her with a grin.

The Master's Cave

Sametime

Donovan angrily paced about the cave, annoyed that he couldn't be on the surface world maiming and killing. And what made his mood worse was the fact that his lover Darla wasn't at his side. And to think about the person that had killed her was almost sickening. He had raised Angelus in his image and this was his payment for it. He truly didn't want to kill the girl, but after what she had done he didn't have much of a choice.

But the tricky part was, that he had to make it look like an accident, because the Master favored Angelus, and he hated to admit it but he didn't want to face the Master's wrath. He still didn't know what the Master had planned for Angelus, but the waiting was killing him.

_I need something to occupy my time._ he thought to himself. _Perhaps I'll make a playmate for meself._

* * *

"So you live here now?" Jesse asked as he looked around the expensively decorated two bedroom apartment. "Cool."

"Jess, what are you doing here man?" Xander asked, getting his attention.

"After your little blow up with the Buffster I decided to follow you and make sure you were okay." he replied, turning to look over at Angel. "And by the looks of things you're doing just fine."

"Listen man I don't think that you should..."

"Xander it's alright." Angel spoke up putting a hand behind Jesse's back. Leading him to the table, they all had a seat. "Listen Jesse, I need for you..."

"Let me say something first." Jesse stopped her. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for saving my life the other day. I doubt that Buffy would've had time to find me before..."

"That's why I was sent here to help guide her. To make her a better Slayer." she replied putting a hand on top of his. "Which is where you come in. I need a favor from you..."

"I'll do anything." he blurted out, making her smile up at him.

"Since Xander had a falling out with her, I need someone else to properly introduce us so she'll know that I'm not her enemy."

"Alright. I'll do what you want me to do on two conditions." Jesse replied with a smug smile. "I want you to train me, like you're gonna do for Xander."

"Okay." Angel said, noticing a disappointed look on Xander's face. Promising herself, to talk to him later she looked back to Jesse. "What's the next condition?"

"I want you to tell us about you. As far as we know you're the Master's right hand man...um woman and you're just playing us." Jesse started. "I don't remember all of what happened that night you saved me and Cordy but I do remember that we got out of there a little to easy."

Xander was about to comment on how rude his friend was being, but to tell the truth he wanted an answer to that question himself. Seeing that the girl was going through a mix of emotions Jesse crossed his arms awaiting her response.

"It's hard for me to put into words about the Master..."

"Then draw us a picture." Jesse cut her off. Noticing her look, he relented. "I'm... I'm sorry it's just that this is a little confusing."

"I understand." she said with a sigh. "Look, all I can say right now is that me and the Master have a long history together."

"That's not much of an explaination."

"Sorry, but that's all that you're going to get from me." Angel replied. "Now if you still want to learn from me, stop questioning me and go home and get some warm ups. I want you and Xander to spar against each other so I can see what areas you need to be trained in."

Not wanting to upset her more then he already had, he did what she had asked and left.

"And you, sooner or later I want you to make up with Buffy."

"But..."

"No but's Xander." Angel replied thinking of how the next thing she was about to say was going to be funny for her. "Life is too short to hold grudges. If we're going to be fighting evil, I'd much rather do it with the Slayer."

"Alright." Xander agreed, seeing the sense in what she was saying. "I'll talk to her tomorrow."

Later That Night

Sunnydale Street

Buffy hiked up her jacket, as the slight wind sent a chill up her spine. It was unusually cold tonight and she didn't know why. Kicking a can that she was about to step on, she thought back to the conversation she had with Willow only a few moments ago, as she walked the red head home.

After a long talk she had finally convinced her new friend that Xander was being a jerk for talking to her the way he had. Of course Angel was evil, but just like any man Xander only took up for her because of the way the other girl looked. Stupid mistake. Stupid Xander. Judging from what she saw of him he wouldn't add much to the team anyway.

_Buffy that was wrong._ a tiny voice said in her head. _He was only trying to be your friend and you were bad mouthing somebody you didn't even know. You need to apologize to him._

Before she could argue with her sub-conscious a fist materialized out of the darkness, crunching her nose and sending a spray of blood into her face. Tumbling to the ground, her blood temporarily blinding her, she heard a round of laughter coming from all around. Madly wiping at her eyes she managed to clear some out of them, just in enough time to dodge a foot that was aimed at her head. Even though it was only in a brief moment she saw that five vampires were surrounding her.

_Damn, why wasn't I paying attention?_

"Look, guys." one of the vampires sneered. "Our food is quick and Satan knows I love fast food."

"She won't be yours tonight demon." Buffy heard someone say with an irish accent, before more blood pumped into her eyes. Going blind once again, she heard the sounds of screaming followed by the sounds of vampires dusting.

"Are you alright, lamb?" she heard the same voice ask after a few minutes. Finally getting the last of the blood out of her eyes, she looked up and hoped to God, that the man she was looking at wasn't a mirage. He was simply gorgeous. He was tall, had gelled up hair, and a face that looked to be crafted by God himself. Shaking her head, to clear her mind, she saw that he was extending his hand out for her to take.

"Um...um yeah, I'm fine." Buffy replied, taking his hand and allowing him to help her up.

"Why were you walking out here alone?" he asked, giving her a look. "Don't you know how dangerous it is to be out by yourself on a night like this?"

_I can be out here alone because, I'm the Slayer._ Buffy thought bitterly to herself. _Like he'd ever believe me with the way I got beat up. Wait how was he able to kill all of these vamps? Something just isn't right here._

"I wouldn't feel right letting a woman walk home by herself so late at night." the man with the long dark coat, spoke again. "Allow me to escort you home."

"Alright." Buffy replied as the bleeding of her nose finally stopped. _Maybe this guy isn't bad after all._

"My name is Donovan, by the way."

"Buffy." Buffy told the older man as they fell into an easy dialogue as they walked towards her home. She had thought that he was going to lie to her, like other people would have about what just happened, but he had told her that what they had faced were vampires. She hated to play dumb about it, but she couldn't tell the man that she already knew about vampires and that she was the Slayer. She felt guilty about that however because he had told her all about his entire family being killed off by a Master vampire and his quest to find him.

"Well this is my stop." the Slayer said nervously. "You know... the stop at my house."

"And what a fine house it is." Donovan replied, amused.

"Well, I... I guess I'll see you around then."

"You most certainly will." he said turning to leave. Turning back around, with a smile Buffy was about to knock on the door, until she sensed someone extremely close behind her.

"There's one more thing you need to learn about vampires little one." Donovan whispered into her ear. "Never turn your back on one." before she could let out a scream he bit deeply into her neck, savoring the above average taste of her sweet blood. Smiling as her heart began to slow, he reluctantly pulled away and slit his wrist.

Buffy's insides were burning, her life slipping away, and her lungs giving out. Just like many before her, she pushed away from the thing that would give her eternal life. However that tiny voice in the back of her mind told her of the human nature of self preservation. Leaning forward she began to drink deeply from the veins of her new master.

_Well I can't let it look like a vampire might have turned her_. Donovan thought to himself as he pulled away from Buffy allowing her to die. Taking a look around he suddenly saw a cat looking at him nervously. With a devilish smile on his face, after his grisly task was done he knocked loudly on Buffy's front door, before running into the night.

"Did you lose your key again, loser?" Dawn asked as she opened up the front door and screamed, as she saw her big sister laying in a pool of blood. Rushing to the door, Joyce too screamed as she cradled her daughter in her arms.

Not known to them but the evil creature that had done this too her was still lurking in the shadows.

"It begins." Donovan said with an echoing laugh as he dropped the dead cat and walked away.


End file.
